FINNEAS, “For Cryin’ Out Loud!”

You’d have to be living under a rock to be completely unaware of the success of Billie Eilish and her producer-collaborator brother, FINNEAS. Both have a plethora of awards—including Oscars and Grammys—so to say talent is genetic is an understatement. With his second album, For Cryin’ Out Loud!, FINNEAS continues his evolution as his own artist.

This album sees FINNEAS leave behind the lone singer-songwriter vibe of his 2021 debut LP, Optimist, and 2019 EP Blood Harmony. While he tends to rely on the piano to drive the majority of these songs, he uses other musicians‚playing strings and horns, which gives the album a fuller sound than before.

The piano-driven “Starfucker” starts off the album. While FINNEAS’ vocals soar over the accompaniment, his tight rhyming style draws you out of the song. The lyrics have a tinge of snark and are obviously about a failed relationship.

“What’s It Gonna Take to Break Your Heart?”  begins with a reverb-laden drum hook (think Savage Garden’s “I Want You”). The songs at times pulls from influences as varied as Sade, Coldplay, Michael Jackson and guitar licks that sounds like they’re pulled from Spandau Ballet’s “True.” It transitions from a groovy melody into power chords before a mellow, subdued ending.

Catchy single “Cleats” channels late ’90s or early ’00s pop in its tale of teenage angst and unrequited love, using sports as allegory. “You don’t know how to feel/ You don’t know how to stop/ Like it’ll never heal/ Your heart is still in the weeds/ Straight off the soccer field/ She’s still wearing her cleats,” he sings before letting into a chorus of layered vocals.

“Little Window” is a power ballad that defies genres. It starts off like a mellow ’70s acoustic ballad before the sound is atmospherically elevated. Here, FINNEAS’ vocals are the most haunting. Even the stacked, reverb-heavy harmonies will give you goosebumps.

A funky beat drives “2001,” about the exuberant feeling in a relationship that makes it seem out of this world. The only thing that could make it better is if FINNEAS cut out all his used of the word “honey” here and in too many others places on the album.

Of everything on the album, “Same Old Story” sounds the most like FINNEAS’ work with his sister. However, at the 2:11 mark, similarities begin to vanish, and the song becomes his.

“Sweet Cherries,” meanwhile, can’t decide what it wants to be, starting as a fuzz-toned synth ballad before evolving into a melding of synth-pop and disco. It’s the album’s weakest offering, never finding its footing.

The title track, about the highs and lows of a relationship, combines bedroom pop with elements of funk and jazz. This space is where FINNEAS’ sound is most powerful. “I’m calling your name/ You’re wearing me out/ But I love you the same,” he sings. “Your heart is a maze/ You’re running your mouth/ But I’m singing your praises.”

While Eilish doesn’t appear on the album, she’s still present on “Family Feud,” about the siblings’’ relationship. It rides that fine line between lament and quiet exultation without being overly sentimental: “And you’re only 22/ And there’s nothing I can do/ I made mistakes, you’ll make them, too/ Part of me is part of you/ Just a different shade of blue,” FINNEAS sings. It’s a sweet track that defies its title.

“Lotus Eater” concludes the album. Steeped in ’80s nostalgia but combined with contemporary pop, it’s the album’s strongest track.

For Cryin’ Out Loud! is a strong effort. While FINNEAS’ sound has matured, his talents still lie more on the production side. Vocally, he’s there. Lyrically, the dough still needs to rise.