Rating: 8.1/10
The 27-year-old singer, songwriter and record producer FINNEAS is known for his music production, specifically with his younger sister Billie Eilish. However, with the release of his second album on October 4, FINNEAS is stepping into the spotlight on his own, unveiling his versatility and musicianship.
“For crying out loud!” – a 40-minute, 10-song album – follows the release of his 2019 EP “Blood Harmony” and his 2021 debut album “Optimist.”
The album cover depicts him dejected, dressed in black contrasting with the orange glow of lighting, with downcast eyes as he holds his girlfriend’s hand. In an interview with Spotify, FINNEAS said the cover was accidentally taken during the filming of “For Cryin’ Out Loud!” Music video.
“I don’t know, there’s something kind of cool — she’s clearly looking at me and I’m holding her hand and I’m kind of looking away, which is kind of like how she feels when she’s being tortured over something,” Phineas said in the interview. .
The opening piano chords of the first track, “Starf-er,” effectively wow listeners for a nearly 20-second intro. After a slight pause, FINNEAS begins singing, detailing the broken promises of an ex who used him to achieve fame.
With the addition of drums in the second verse, one is swept along in the flow as FINNEAS flows through his emotions, which immediately swell during a musical break. The piano keys boom heavily, and the other instruments falter in unison until they sadly lead into the slow-melting chorus.
Tracks two and three, “What Would It Take to Break Your Heart?” and “Cleats,” respectively, boast funky, upbeat beats accompanied by FINNEAS’ low-register, soothing, seductive vocals.
“The Little Window” is a clear contrast to the two that preceded it. Acoustic guitar chords and a soothing beat slow down the tempo of the album to start the track.
When the second verse filters into the chorus, the drums begin with layered vocals that follow closely behind. This permanent extension is built as FINNEAS reflects how social media can consume a person, hence the “little window” being a metaphor for the phone.
“Tears in your eyes / Wipe them aside / And I’m having a nice day / Not a cloud in the sky / And you’re still alive / But you don’t look that way,” Finneas sings in the chorus.
Halfway through the album, “2001” floods listeners’ ears with a mysterious, FINNEAS-tinged tone. Another musical explosion occurs once the chorus begins to incorporate the clap beat, which – for FINNEAS – sounds disappointingly bland.
Although the song is over three minutes long, it doesn’t contain anything particularly noteworthy, being peppered with repetitive lyrics throughout the choruses and two-line verses.
The sixth track, “Same Old Story,” includes a piano ballad that is primarily guided by FINNEAS’ emotional lyricism.
“Same old story about a haunted house / We had to burn down (We had to burn down) / Are you bored, or are you exhausted? / That’s a nice couch,” Finneas sings throughout the third verse.
The piano ascends after the final chorus, angling downward in search of the closing keys as FINNEAS drives it home with his final line, “It’s a moot thing that I’m still yours.”
The most artistically oriented song on the album, “Sweet Cherries,” exemplifies FINNEAS’ finely woven production.
The track begins with a saucy guitar riff and FINNEAS’ once again seductive voice, sighing midway through the first verse, quickly followed by him singing, “She says it ain’t it, but it’s easy for you.”
About two and a half minutes in, a static synthesizer appears that resembles the first part of the song. Piano strings and FINNEAS belt introduce the second half before the groovy percussion pulses throughout the closing minute and a half.
“For Cryin’ Out Loud!”, the album’s lead single, lyrically focuses on the painfully frustrating push and pull in a relationship. As a lead single, it delivers effortlessly, with catchy lyrics and an upbeat melody that verges on pop perfection.
But what FINNEAS likes to do throughout this album is push and pull listeners in every direction, whether that means swaying to relentless beats or tugging at the heartstrings. He does the latter with track nine, “Family Feud.”
FINNEAS revealed on TikTok that the penultimate song on the album is about his sister and how he watched her being scrutinized under the spotlight of fame despite her youth.
“And you’re only twenty-two/And there’s nothing I can do/I’ve made mistakes, and you’ll make them too/Part of me is part of you/Just a different shade of blue/Just a little family feud,” Finneas sings in the pre-chorus.
Within that pre-chorus, FINNEAS references Eilish’s song “BLUE” from her latest album, which FINNEAS produced.
The tenth and final track, “Lotus Eater”, involves the need to escape from unwanted situations, but problems remain unresolved. Although there is nothing significantly expansive within the song, choosing it as the closing track was an appropriate choice.
Throughout his second album, FINNEAS showcases his style after three years of writing his own music. Despite the repetition in the lyrics and instrumentation – and the repetition in the flow from powerful tracks to soft acoustics – FINNEAS has produced a powerful work of art that incorporates a range of themes.
And for crying out loud, listen to him.
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