Melissa Kacar

The Dream  marks a new chapter for close friends and longtime collaborators Finneas and Ashe , joined by drummer David Marinelli and guitarist Ricky Gourmet. Collectively they make up The Favors , a band born out of friendship and the shared desire to make music without boundaries. Finneas and Ashe have worked together many times through the years, beginning in 2019 when they co-wrote her breakthrough hit "Moral of the Story". Two years later, they reunited for their duet "Till Forever Falls Apart" on Ashe's debut album. Now with David and Ricky, two musicians who have also been integral to Finneas' solo work, including his 2024 album For Cryin' Out Loud! -  they reintroduce themselves as artists in this new collaborative effort. The album feels like a natural extension of the friendship and creative partnership they all share, opening up new sides of their artistry while embracing a more collective approach. On Instagram, the band described the proces...

It's that time of year again, the moment to look back on all of the songs that shaped my 2025! My annual favorites posts are something I genuinely look forward to writing every December. Truthfully, I am mentally compiling this list all year long, so I'll probably need to start theorizing about possible contenders for the eventual 2026 list in just a few weeks! It's always interesting to watch how this list evolves as the year goes on and as more artists release music, and which songs manage to stay in rotation despite the constant wave of new releases. I'll admit, this year brought the biggest dilemma I've had yet when it comes to ranking these tracks. While my annual lists are always loosely ranked, I do pay special attention to the placement of the top ten and this year was especially the toughest to narrow down. Sometimes there is a very clear winner in my mind and I can always point out the singular song that defined the year for me, like last year with "...