Finneas review, Optimist: Stylistically, this debut album has everything
Producer and musician’s debut feels like the most cohesive and considered statement of who he is, both as an individual and as a solo artist
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.It’s difficult to fathom just how daunting a task it is to drop a debut album after your younger sister – who happens to be one of the biggest pop artists on the planet – released her second. Yet Finneas, the mononymously titled brother of Billie Eilish, is clearly taking it in his stride.
Optimist arrives some time after the 24-year-old, full name Finneas O’Connell, helped a teenage Eilish create the sound that has won multiple Grammys, broken countless industry records, and attracted millions of fans. He produced both her albums, the latest of which came out earlier this year, and performs with her at her live shows. When she collected her Grammy for Album of the Year in 2020, he was there by her side.
Before he began collaborating with Eilish, Finneas played in his own band, and has released a steady stream of solo material for the past decade. Yet this album feels like the most cohesive and considered statement of who he is, both as an individual and as a solo artist. Stylistically, it has everything: chamber pop, grunge, classical, Latin, rock.
He’s wonderful when he delivers a Rufus Wainwright-like drawl on the self-aware “The Kids Are All Dying” – over “Benny and the Jets” plonks of piano he sings in an arch falsetto: “I know my pool is heated/ Business class is where I’m seated/ And I’m whiter than the ivory on these keys.” But suddenly he sounds more like Woodkid, dropping his voice a couple of octaves for the sultry “Medieval”. His Chris Martin impression on “What They’ll Say About Us” is better than anything on the actual new Coldplay album, also out this week.
Some of the ideas and motifs here feel like scraps from his work with Eilish, such as the grunge guitar that kicks in on opener “A Concert 6 Months From Now”, and the bossa-nova rhythm of his Dean Martin-indebted “Happy Now”. Others, such as his whimsical “Peaches Etude” on the piano, demonstrate what a fantastic multi-instrumentalist he is. Finneas has asserted himself as a talented artist in his own right. Where he goes next is up to him.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments