Finneas O’Connell is best known as the award-winning producer behind his sister Billie Eilish, but his latest album further proves his talent as a solo artist. For Cryin’ Out Loud takes a few steps away from his work with Eilish and his debut album, Optimist. While Eilish leaned into bold, bass-boosted stadium hits with Hit Me Hard and Soft, FINNEAS has shifted his sound toward indie-pop and jazz influences (though he swears it’s not just another bedroom pop record). This places For Cryin’ Out Loud closer to the vibe of Happier Than Ever. With the same vocal layering and whispered choruses found in Eilish’s music, fans of hers should find plenty to enjoy here.
The album is a moody exploration of FINNEAS’ most intimate feelings. “Star****er,” the string- and keys-laden ballad that opens the album, feels like a modern “Piano Man” if the protagonist had one too many drinks and started analyzing their relationships mid-song. FINNEAS contrasts cold, sharp lyrics with sincere violins and sentimental vocals as he accosts a past lover: “If you’d just apologized, I’d still be yours for sure / but you’re cruel.” It’s an egotistical track, for sure, but with breakup anthems like these becoming an essential part of pop music, it’s tough to deny FINNEAS the right to make his own.
Its follow-up, “What’s It Gonna Take to Break Your Heart?” continues the introspection, as FINNEAS reflects on his meaning to his partner. Despite this, the high-tempo drums and guitar elevate the song. It presents an interesting dilemma: can you trust someone not to break your heart when you know they’ll be okay without you?
The album ventures into indie rock with “Cleats,” another high-tempo track combining classic indie instrumentation with low, synthetic vocals. However, the vague lyrics lead to the meaning getting “lost in the weeds” as FINNEAS reflects on nostalgia in an abstract way. This creates a bit of whiplash when the next track, “Little Window,” goes out of its way to make an obvious reference to social media and smartphone culture. It’s an unusually derivative acoustic song for FINNEAS, like a humorless version of Bo Burnham’s Inside track “That Funny Feeling” or a YouTube songwriter’s debut.
“2001” starts with muted percussion that made me expect an answer to Hit Me Hard and Soft, but then the real drums kick in alongside a funky guitar riff as it becomes FINNEAS’ most distinctive song yet. The track is a standout, blending perfectly mixed vocals, complex production, and impassioned lyrics into an instant indie-pop classic. The song’s lyrics capture FINNEAS chasing after his lover, pleading with them to “come back to bed” and work through their issues together.
“Same Old Story” is a more meta track, reflecting on both the repetitiveness of heartbreak and the common themes running through the album itself: “Same old story you’ve heard a hundred times… an allegory for what you couldn’t find.” The simpler backing track marks it as another one of FINNEAS’ attempts at authenticity, while the coarse lyricism helps balance its melancholy with genuine emotion.
“Sweet Cherries” splits itself into two parts. The first half is a typical upbeat indie-pop love song, but with FINNEAS’ more alternative flair. The second half returns to the piano ballad style of “Star****er,” before transitioning to a percussive, echoing outro. It’s some of the most complex production on the album, but I found the elements didn’t mesh as well as they could have. Many of the ideas explored here were executed better in other tracks.
The titular track, For Cryin’ Out Loud, is another highlight. Its bold, heavy lyrical pattern perfectly matches FINNEAS’ percussion and guitar production. Lyrics like “Show me the ropes, then you show me the door / Why don’t you show me why you’re so worried?” exemplify FINNEAS’ sentimentality and enduring hopeless romanticism as he tries to express his loyalty and unwavering feelings in the face of conflict.
“Family Feud” is almost FINNEAS’ apology for his earlier acoustic missteps. The track takes a break from romantic themes to express empathy, pity, and protectiveness toward his little sister. It’s an interesting and sweet depiction of Billie Eilish, reminding us that celebrities weren’t always famous to their families. FINNEAS evokes a poignant sadness for the intimacy of familial relationships, especially with someone as caught in the public eye as Eilish.
“Lotus Eater,” the third single from the album, is another standout. Continuing his Homeric allusions (see the line “It doesn’t have to be / such an odyssey” in “2001”), FINNEAS casts himself as a “lotus eater” as he blasts music in his car. The song centers around his wish for obliviousness at the end of a relationship, asking his partner to “grab my wrist ‘til your knuckles are white” so he can remember “Friday bliss on a Sunday night.” The track feels like a conclusion, as FINNEAS finds peace and begins to move on. It gives the album a sense of closure, similar to Hozier’s “First Light.”
While For Cryin’ Out Loud might not hit the mainstream as hard (or should I say soft?) as Eilish’s 2024 album, FINNEAS’ mastery of production should satisfy hardcore fans of both Billie and the indie-pop genre. Although the album’s similarity between songs means only a few will make it into my regular rotation, the album as a whole remains a top pick for easy listening. I’d give this one a 7/10, and while FINNEAS did a good job expanding past simple bedroom-pop, I’m hoping we see him bring more of the electronica and alternative boldness we see in his work with Billie into his next release.
Photo from FINNEAS via instagram
