FINNEAS
For Cryin' Out Loud
Release Date: Oct 4, 2024
Genre(s): Pop, Pop/Rock, Alternative/Indie Rock, Contemporary Singer/Songwriter, Indie Electronic, Alternative Singer/Songwriter, Soundtracks, Stage & Screen, Original Score
Record label: Interscope
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Album Review: For Cryin' Out Loud by FINNEAS
Mediocre, Based on 3 Critics
Based on rating 2
American singer songwriter (and brother of Billie Eilish) plays it safe on second album which sadly promises more than it delivers Finneas is, of course, better known as Finneas O’Connell, older brother to none other than a certain Billie Eilish – and a man who, both with and without his sister, has a long list of songwriting and production credits of his own. Somehow, he’s also found time to launch his own solo career, with his debut album Optimist receiving a decent reception on its release in 2021. For Cryin’ Out Loud! is the follow-up, and sees O’Connell embellish his sound somewhat.
Opinion: Excellent
For a man with 10 GRAMMY Awards to his name, it's taken a surprisingly long time for FINNEAS to come into a solo sound that feels recognisably his own. Rightly hailed for his game-changing production work alongside sister Billie Eilish - a canon that will forever be written into the annals of history as shifting the course of pop music for an entire generation - his output under his own guise has, until now, felt decidedly less singular. Though 2021 debut 'Optimist' was a solid collection of radio-friendly songwriting, the necessary personality to lift him out of his sibling's shadow seemed lacking.
Opinion: Very Good
Among the crop of 2010s super-producers, Finneas Baird O'Connell - better known mononymously as FINNEAS - plays both the educated music scholar and yearning lovesick twenty-something. Alongside generous lashings of GRAMMYs, and systematic Billboard hits via collaborations with sister Billie Eilish, the Los Angeles native's primary solo activity seems to be crooning lovestruck and wistful melodies. His sophomore studio album, 'For Cryin' Out Loud!', is more of a collaborative effort than O'Connell was used to, stating that "the majority of the record was written as we played together, a process I hadn't done since high school." The result does hold an element of youthfulness and naivety, akin to early Coldplay tracks and noughties soft rock.
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