For Cryin' Out Loud! by Finneas // Album Review
For Cryin' Out Loud! marks the beginning of a new era for Finneas as a solo artist with this freeing and uplifting body of work. It is heartfelt, honest, and introspective - as he fully embraces a more collaborative approach than ever before. It features a blend of modern pop and alternative rock, along with classic, rich orchestral elements as well.
Stylistically it expands upon parts of his 2021 debut solo album, Optimist, but in many ways is much sharper and more focused than that that record because of the ways it was made in basically the complete opposite way than before. Optimist was created solely by Finneas - every single song was written, performed and produced completely by himself alone in his home studio during the pandemic. The ability to do all of that alone is a massively impressive feat in itself, but is now what he described to Rolling Stone as a lonely experience and not necessarily creatively fulfilling in the way he hoped it would have been looking back. "I made my last album completely alone in a room," he said. "And that was satisfying to some degree, because I just worked on it until it sounded how I wanted it to sound. But it was really lonely and I didn’t feel like, 'This is the best possible way it could sound, I'm so glad I made it alone.' I thought I did an OK job. So on this album, I’ve made a point to be hyper-collaborative. Fortunately, most of my friends are producers."
This time around, he ended up taking a different approach by forming a band with a group of his close friends at a traditional recording studio in Los Angeles. They recorded the album live in five sessions over the span of two weeks. It was a very quick process, just as he was coming off of finishing up Billie Eilish's album HIT ME HARD AND SOFT, as well as producing the score for an Apple TV series.
Over the past eight years, Finneas has garnered massive success through his work with his sister, Billie, and has won multiple Grammy's and Academy Awards for his productions with her. I have loved Finneas' solo music for as long as I have loved Billie's music and it has been really incredible to see them achieve an insurmountable amount of success through their work together over the past several years. There is just no one else like them and I have always been endlessly inspired by their art. Finneas' solo work, which as a whole is very underrated, has always been quite different from the work he does with Billie and other artists. That is truly a testament to how versatile he is as a songwriter and producer. He has always done a great job at showcasing his perspective and journey as an artist, as well as his own personal musical influences throughout everything he has ever released up to this point.
For Cryin' Out Loud! offers a much different listening experience than the rest of the solo music he has released prior. Much of this album is very loose and organic sounding, with it not necessarily trying to be as refined or meticulously produced as either of his first two releases are. "I wanted it to feel like you're having a drink, having a conversation," he told Vogue. This music also sounds more spontaneous overall too, as much of it was written and recorded live all in one day. It is also evident how much his confidence continues to grow as a solo artist with each release too.
Above all, the best part of this album is the joy that shines through in every performance from every artist involved. It is so clear just how uplifting this entire recording experience was, which is an element that radiates back to the listeners. I already considered Finneas to be one of the greatest songwriters and producers of this generation, but For Cryin' Out Loud! only further solidified that.
"What's It Gonna Take To Break Your Heart" picks up where "Starfucker" leaves off, in what is one of the very best songs of his entire career thus far. The song is about wanting so badly to mean enough to someone to be able to even break their heart when it's all over. "What's it gonna take to break your heart?" Finneas asks in the first verse, "Do you think I'll even leave a mark?" He sounds absolutely incredible and I love the harmonies with backing vocalist Lucy Healey too, which gives the listener both the male and female perspective in the story.
These themes of longing and emotional turmoil make up a major portion of this album. The first of the singles released was the title track, "For Cryin' Out Loud!", which very much encapsulates all of the overarching themes of the entire record. It's very conversational, as much of the album is, with a very passionate and anthemic delivery from Finneas. The production and instrumentation of this song in particular is such a shining moment of the entire record, I love how the highs and lows of the story are translated into these vibrant brass and percussion arrangements. The narrative continues to build with intensity throughout the verses and into the chorus, to which he belts, "For cryin' out loud! I'm calling your name, you're wearing me out, but I love you the same". Despite the conflict and turmoil, he is still deeply committed to this person he is singing to. His storytelling is so evocative and relatable in the way these themes could be interpreted in so many different ways.
Much of this record also takes a much more personal approach than a lot of Finneas' past work has, his own experiences are the forefront of every single song. That deviates from his debut album as well since Optimist in particular was written at a time when it very much felt like the weight of the world was heavy on everyone's shoulders. Written with the backdrop of everything that happened between 2020 and 2021, Finneas asked on the second track of that album, "How can you sing about love when the kids are all dying?". With that, much of his music focused on bringing light to many of the horrors and injustices of the world, wondering why anyone would want to hear about his life when there are so many bigger things happening all around us. "I thought my small, lived experience wasn't the most universal, so I sang about the world," Finneas said in an interview with Vogue. "Ultimately, I don't even know if I really like other people's songs about the world. I like songs about personal experiences."
"Little Window" takes a new approach to that mindset he had with his music previously, specifically with being trapped in the endless cycle of social media addiction. Our phones expose us to so much happening in the world every single day, the good and the bad, and there is nothing we can do about any of it. "'Honey what's on your mind?' Everything all the time," he sings before each chorus. The way he approaches this topic reminds me of a song by Djo called "On and On", which also tackles the universal doom scroll experience that I don't know if we even realize consumes most of us as much as it does. "Little Window" is a short, but very impactful moment on the album that has been on my mind ever since I first heard it.
"Same Old Story" draws from a lot of the same principles of "Little Window" in terms of how we all see each other through social media but don't really know what the other person is going through in their lives. It is written in the context of Finneas' life as a public figure and relationship with fame, but many of the sentiments ring true for anyone though. "You think you know me, and I wish you did" is one of my favorite lyrics he has ever written, there are so many ways to interpret such a simple, yet powerful, line like that. "Same Old Story" draws a lot of thematic parallels to his 2019 song "I Lost A Friend", which is one of the first songs I fell in love with Finneas' music through and to this day remains one of my favorites. Both have this innate loneliness to them, and kind of serve as a cautionary tale of sorts as well. On "Same Old Story" he even ends the song by telling the listener, "Be careful what you wish for".
Between some of the heavier moments of the album, there is also a lot of really fun and upbeat songs that are so addicting to listen to. Songs like "2001" and "Cleats" feel so nostalgic and familiar in a lot of ways, while also still sounding very fresh at the same time. The lyrical storyline of "2001" incorporates references to 2001: A Space Odyssey in a subtle way that also ties into the recurring theme of yearning for connection with someone who is becoming emotionally distant. The guitar solo toward the end of the song is one of my favorite parts of the entire album, I love it so much.
"Sweet Cherries" is another song that radiates so much joy and just sounds like it was so much fun to record in the studio that day. It has a breezy California vibe to it, but there is a lot of lyrical depth to it too as he describes this enigmatic star that he has fallen for even though he knows she is going to break his heart. "You know you're gonna say it's her fault, but you knew it all then, and you'd do it all again," he sings. There is also a beat switch halfway through, which is a stylistic choice he has done quite a few times on his productions, specifically on songs like "Happier Than Ever", "BITTERSUITE" and "BLUE", to name a few. It's kind of become his signature at this point, but it is still so unexpected every time. The second part sounds like a continuation of "What's It Gonna Take To Break Your Heart", with it fast-forwarding to the end of that relationship and everything happening exactly the way he knew it would. "What went wrong we don't talk about," he sings, "every bridge you cross, you just burn it down".
The second to last song on the album is so stunning and one of my favorites Finneas has ever made. It truly makes me cry every single time I hear it, this is such a special song that I feel so deeply moved by. "Family Feud" was written for his sister Billie and really beautifully represents their love for each other and the bond they share. "And you're only twenty-two and there's nothin' I can do, I made mistakes, you'll make 'em too," Finneas sings in the final verse, "Part of me is part of you, just a diffеrent shade of blue". In many ways it feels deeply connected to Billie's 2019 song "everything i wanted", which was written for him in the same way "Family Feud" was written for her. They both share the same sentiment that no matter what happens and no matter how much their lives change, they will always have each other. Both of those songs just make me so emotional to listen to and "Family Feud" especially makes me think of my own brother in a way that I never heard represented in a song before. It beautifully encapsulates the way sibling dynamics change as you get older, but the unconditional love will always remain.
The album ends with the incredible "Lotus Eater", which is another one of the brightest shining moments of Finneas' entire discography. It reminds me of the sentiment behind "Tiny Moves" by Bleachers, to which it even shares some sonic similarities. It is a very sweet song and such a perfect way to close out this record. After so much of the emotional turmoil that is explored throughout this album, whether it is involving his own inner battles or in relationships, "Lotus Eater" really ends it all on such a positive note. It is a song of new beginnings and new love, one that feels like "a Friday bliss on a Sunday night". He sings of finally finding the one who reciprocates his feelings and they fully understand each other. "Did you figure me out? Who's the mystery now? I think I figured you out, not such a mystery now," he sings in the final lines of the album. It is such a joyful and sentimental note to end this record on, which truly takes the listener on such a beautiful journey from beginning to end.
By stepping out of his comfort zone and breaking the rules he set for himself, Finneas ended up making some of his strongest work yet. The raw, introspective moments and innovative productions make For Cryin' Out Loud! such a masterclass in musical storytelling.
Thanks for reading, I would love to hear your thoughts in the comment section below!
-Melissa ♡
Photo Credit: Finneas, Muriel Margaret, Interscope Records
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