Rating: 8.1/10
The 27-year-old singer-songwriter and record producer FINNEAS is most commonly known for his music production, specifically with his younger sister, Billie Eilish. However, with the release of his sophomore album on Oct. 4, FINNEAS steps into the spotlight alone, unveiling his versatility and musicality.
“For Cryin’ Out Loud!” — a 40-minute, 10-track album — follows the release of his 2019 EP “Blood Harmony” and 2021 debut album “Optimist.”
The album cover depicts him dejectedly, dressed in black attire that contrasts with the orange glow of the lighting and eyes downcast as he holds onto his girlfriend’s hand. In an interview for Spotify, FINNEAS said the cover was accidentally taken while shooting the “For Cryin’ Out Loud!” music video.
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“I don’t know, there’s something kinda cool — she’s clearly looking at me and I’m holding her hand and kinda looking away, which is sort of how you are when you’re tortured by something,” FINNEAS said in the interview.
The opening piano chords of the first track, “Starf—er,” effectively bewitch listeners for the nearly 20-second introduction. After a slight pause, FINNEAS’ vocals begin, detailing the broken promises of an ex-lover who used him for fame.
With the addition of drums in the second verse, one is swept up in a current as FINNEAS barrels through his emotions, which instantaneously swell throughout an instrumental break. The piano keys furiously flourish, reeling other instruments into one sound until it unfortunately leads right back to the slow-melting chorus.
Tracks two and three, “What’s It Gonna Take To Break Your Heart?” and “Cleats” respectively, flaunt funky, upbeat rhythms accompanied by FINNEAS’ low-registered, seductively soothing vocals.
“Little Window” is the clear-cut opposite of the two that precede it. Acoustic guitar chords and a hushed tone slow the album’s tempo to begin the track.
As the second verse filters into the chorus, drums kick in with vocal layering following closely behind. An ever-lasting expanse is built upon as FINNEAS reflects on how social media can consume a person, hence the “little window” being a metaphor for a phone.
“Tears in your eyes/ Brush them aside/ And have 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 murky undertone overpowered by FINNEAS. Another instrumental eruption occurs once the chorus begins with the inclusion of a clap-beat, which — for FINNEAS — feels underwhelmingly bland.
Although over three minutes long, the song doesn’t possess anything particularly noteworthy, engulfed by repetitive lyrics throughout the choruses and two-line verses.
Track six, “Same Old Story,” entails a piano ballad mainly guided by FINNEAS’ emotionally raw-cutting lyricism.
“Same old story about a haunted house/ We had to burn down (We had to burn down)/ Did I get boring, or did I wear you out?/ It’s a nice couch,” FINNEAS sings throughout the third verse.
The piano ascends after the final chorus, spiraling downward for its closing keys as FINNEAS drives it home with his last line, “It’s controversial that I am still yours.”
The most artistically driven song on the album, “Sweet Cherries,” exemplifies FINNEAS’ meticulously woven production.
The track opens with a raunchy guitar and a seductive sounding FINNEAS yet again, as he sighs in the middle of the first verse, soon followed by him singing, “She says she’s not, but she’s easy for you.”
Around the two-and-a-half-minute mark, a static-like synthesizer outros part one of the song. Piano chords and a belting FINNEAS introduce the second half before the groovy tempo pulses throughout the concluding minute and a half.
“For Cryin’ Out Loud!,” the album’s lead single, lyrically focuses on the excruciatingly frustrating push and pull of a relationship. As a lead single, it meets its requirements effortlessly, with catchy lyrics and an upbeat tune that is nearly pop perfection.
But what FINNEAS loves to do throughout this album is push and pull listeners in every direction, whether that means swaying to an unrelenting beat or tugging on heartstrings. He does the latter with track nine, “Family Feud.”
FINNEAS revealed in a TikTok that the second to last song on the album is about his sister and how he’s watched her be scrutinized under fame’s spotlight despite her youthfulness.
“And you’re only twenty-two/ And there’s nothin’ I can do/ I made mistakes, you’ll make ‘em 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 refers to Eilish’s song “BLUE” on her most recent album, which FINNEAS produced.
The 10th and final track, “Lotus Eater,” encompasses the need to escape undesirable situations, but the problems remain unresolved. Although there’s nothing dramatically expansive within the song, its selection as a closing track was a suitable choice.
Throughout his sophomore album, FINNEAS showcased his style after three years away from creating his own music. Despite repetitiveness within lyrics and instrumentation — and a redundancy to flow from hard-hitting tracks to solemnly quiet acoustics — FINNEAS produced a solid work of art that encapsulates a range of topics.
And for cryin’ out loud, give it a listen.
