If you’re unaware of Billie Eilish and her songwriting partner, producer and older brother Finneas, then you simply haven’t been paying attention to pop culture in recent years. Their collaborations on her music have hit No. 1 on albums and singles charts across the globe, they penned the newest “James Bond” theme and have won seven and eight Grammys, respectively, in just the last two years.

Just three months after producing the entirety of his sister’s stellar sophomore effort, Happier Than Ever, Finneas is finally releasing his debut LP, simply titled Optimist. Though it doesn’t hit as hard as his music created with Eilish, the album is worth a listen as it helps draw distinctions between the duo’s musical and performance styles.

Sonically, Optimist doesn’t steer too far from the music produced with Eilish. Finneas employs keyboards and synthesizers for a modern sound, but understands the power of a classical piano, using it in several songs to help slow down and ground the entire project. In fact, “Peaches Etude,” running just over two minutes in length, is just a piano the entire time, making for a sonata-like interlude expertly placed in the center of the project.

The first half of the album finds Finneas asking questions about life that are bigger than even the most famous person could begin to answer. On the opening song, “A Concert Six Months From Now,” Finneas sings to a girl he loves, likening him and her to the characters in “When Harry Met Sally” and reflecting on the time he was apparently strung out in Austin. He toys with the pandemic’s effect on touring, which literally halted his plans, but ultimately finds enough faith in his devotion to her to still ask if she wants the other ticket to a Hollywood Bowl show half a year out.

On “The 90s,” he reflects on the decade, singing “When the future was a testament/ To something beautiful and shiny, now/ We’re only countin’ down the time that’s left.” It’s angsty but all too relatable for post-millennials who’ve matured in a firestorm of climate change and economic uncertainty. Though reflecting on a decade in which he was alive for less than three years seems a bit contrived, the vocal distortion and electronic production through the chorus and bridge actually make the song quite fun.

“The Kids Are All Dying” might be the weakest on the album, as the lyrics fall to clichés of lying politicians, carbon footprints and schools in lockdown. It’s not that all these topics aren’t pressing issues, but his delivery is nothing new and comes from such a place of privilege it might make listeners roll their eyes. And even Finneas admits to getting bored trying to fix the world’s problems at the end.

Following the interlude, the album becomes far more personal and introspective, making the second half reign superior to the first.

Finneas’ vocals are haunting on “Medieval” as a clapping and thundering beat guides him as he sings of the impending future when he falls from fashion and ultimately, his pedestal. On “Hurt Locker,” he employs his strongest vocals on the project, beginning in a hushed whisper reminiscent of his sister’s own hush on tracks like “Your Power,” then digging deep, sounding raw and strained, all over lyrics like “What’s a life without the consequences/ What’s a knife without the sharpened edges?”

A mid-tempo synth drives “Around My Neck,” a song charged with sexuality and breathy vocals. “I’m not sure how it started/ But I’m pretty sure I know how this night will end,” he sings between lyrics about releasing tension from his girlfriend’s neck.

Optimist is worth listening to just because of the unbelievable success Finneas has had in recent years behind the microphone, though it may take him some time to take his place center stage. Though his best work may be on his sister’s albums, his debut finds him establishing his voice in his own music.

Follow Domenic Strazzabosco at Twitter.com/domenicstrazz and Instagram.com/domenicstrazz.