Nat and Alex Wolff don’t know when they decided to make music. Their best guess is that this revelation came to them in the womb. “When I was in my mom’s stomach, my dad would play cassette tapes of The Beatles and Thelonious Monk and press them against her belly,” Nat says.
That rhythm has followed them ever since, alongside the passion for film and television most of us know them for. As kids, the brothers acted and sang in the nostalgic Nickelodeon show The Naked Brothers Band. More recently, they’ve become movie stars. Nat, 31, played one of the Pavement guys in last year’s wild music biopic, Pavements. Alex, 28, has been a Hollywood mainstay since showing up in 2018’s cult horror hit Hereditary.
They’ve been so busy that it’s been over two years since they last released music. The 2023 LP Table for Two, was a light, carefree indie-pop record about entering adulthood. Their new album is so personal that the brothers decided to simply name it after themselves: Nat & Alex Wolff. The record goes back in time to look at the struggles of early childhood fame, traumatic experiences from their youth, and interpersonal conflict. Their personal lyrics are layered over soft indie rock, influenced by ’60s and ’70s stars like Leonard Cohen, Bob Dylan, and The Beatles (with the occasional tinge of pop and R&B). Songs like the jaunty “Jack” discuss growing up and growing apart. Others, like “I Can’t Hurt You Anymore,” are odes to loneliness and the remorse of a breakup.
The album feels thematically heavy, but it’s perhaps where all those feelings have been compartmentalized: Today, when they answer my Zoom call, they seem light-hearted. Nat lounges on a couch. Alex is on lunch break from filming the new Jumanji. Both are cracking jokes. Below, we discuss the album, their current interests, and peanut allergy protocol.
Sarah John: This is exciting. I actually grew up on your guys’ stuff.
Nat Wolff: Really? Were you watching The Naked Brothers Band?
Yeah. Also, I was part of 2014 Tumblr. So your movie Stuck in Love was huge for me.
Nat: I remember everybody telling me that the opening shot of me with Liana was a big Tumblr thing. What happened to Tumblr?
You know, I think it’s still going.
Nat: I’m just gonna call Alex. One second.
Alex Wolff [joining the call]: Sorry, I was just fighting off some crazy Jumanji animals.
My first question: How do you hope to grow as artists this year? Any resolutions?
Nat: I am always hoping to spend more time in the studio with Alex—being creative, watching different movies, listening to different kinds of music.
Are there any left field-films or albums that you find yourself drawn to right now?
Alex: There are lots, but the whole point of the new year will be to engage with stuff that’s left field from those. So if it’s obscure Brazilian jazz this year, then we’re gonna make sure that we focus on the new Katy Perry album next year.
Never let them know your next move.
Alex: That’s right. Stay unpredictable.
Nat: Like Addison Rae’s album. That’s such a great record.
Do you have a favorite memory from making this album?
Alex: We made two more songs after we thought the album was done. It was against everybody’s advice to just spit it out. There was just something nagging at us to take a little longer. A lot of people have told me “Whole Other Life” is their favorite one. We finished that two weeks before it came out. I’m proud of me and Nat for holding strong. It really was fruitful to wait.
Nat: For me, it was recording “I Can’t Hurt You Anymore.” The first full take is the one that’s on the album. It’s like trying to catch lightning in a bottle and not oversalt it.
Nat: This is the best date ever, guys!
It’s my first time going on a date with two brothers, but it may not be my last.
Alex: There’s a lot of allergies between us, so we’ll both be like, “Wait. I’m allergic to avocado,” and “Can you just make sure there’s no cheese in that?” You’ll think: “Fuck these brothers. These are horrible brothers.”
I know. Next time when I’m scanning for brothers, I’ll make sure to take notes on what I don’t wanna repeat here. And actually, I’m allergic to nuts, so I can relate.
Alex: Wait, really? What kind of nuts?
“I’m done with this date. I don’t wanna be responsible for your murder!”
alex wolff
All of them.
Nat: Deadly?
Yeah.
Nat: Woah. That’s really bad.
Alex: When you go on airplanes do you ask for everyone to be careful?
I do not recommend this, but I’ve always had this mindset of “If it happens, it happens.” I don’t carry an EpiPen. I’m just gonna down some Zyrtec and thug it out.
Alex: I’m done with this date. I don’t wanna be responsible for your murder. You gotta meet our friend Austin. He’s the opposite. He’s such a chickenshit about it.
Nat: I’ve driven him to the hospital probably, like, 20 times.
Alex: Can I push back on the no EpiPen of it all? Even if you’re gonna be kind of chill about it, you should carry an EpiPen. That’s fucking crazy!
I’m feeling bullied, so there will be no second date.
Alex: Oh no! We’re trying to save you.
You know what? I have a 100% success rate with my strategy of either throwing up immediately or taking Zyrtec.
Nat: Zyrtec is awesome. I fuck with Zyzal. Benadryl makes you tired for, like, three days.
Alex: Do you know who the purple hat man is?
Of course.
Nat: Who’s that?
Alex: Apparently, when people take Benadryl, they don’t go to sleep. They see a man wearing a purple hat. There’s a lot of stories about it. He’s like a sleep paralysis demon.
Nat: I wanna do it.
Okay. Next date, we’re all taking Benadryl.