Finneas O’Connell, better known by listeners as FINNEAS, released his second studio album, “For Cryin’ Out Loud!” Oct. 4. The album is short, only spanning approximately 40 minutes, and contains 10 songs about family, romance and friendship.
O’Connell’s claim to fame came with his sister, Billie Eilish. O’Connell produced all of Eilish’s albums, and the two work closely on their music together.
Since 2020, O’Connell has experimented with his music, creating a discography separate from his sister’s catalog. Even after the success of Eilish’s album “HIT ME HARD AND SOFT,” O’Connell successfully created a standout album with “For Cryin’ Out Loud,” giving fans of O’Connell and Eilish plenty of music to discuss.
The opening track, titled “Starf---er” is a strong opening track for the artist. The song references a past relationship where someone was used for their fame. The term was likely taken from The Rolling Stones, “Star Star.”
The opening track references O’Connell’s first studio album, “Optimist,” during the song. O’Connell sang, “Cross the names off a list / Cartiеr around your wrist / I was such an optimist.” The lyric describes how O’Connell once referred to himself as someone who sees the good in people, but his perspective has changed.
Another notable track off the album comes through in “Cleats.” The song references unspoken love or, rather, a never-discussed crush. The song is sung from the perspective of a teenager.
The song continuously references young love as O’Connell references sitting on the sidelines and watching from the bleachers. O’Connell’s feelings throughout the song are something many can relate to, establishing the popularity of the track with fans.
“For Cryin’ Out Loud!” is the title track of the album and references the frustrations of a relationship with the repeated phrase said throughout. O’Connell sings about the struggles of working hard to keep a relationship happy but getting nothing in return.
The song’s chorus displays the song’s meaning, “For cryin' out loud (Loud) / I'm calling your name (Name) / You're wearing me out (Out) / But I love you the same.” Though the album focuses on romantic love, it also has songs about familial relationships.
“Family Feud” is the second to last song on the album, and it has gained the most attention on social media for its meaning. The song talks about Eilish’s rise to fame from O’Connell’s point of view.
Eilish’s claim to fame came quickly and was overwhelming for her and O’Connell. The song discusses O’Connell’s concerns for Eilish as she has dealt with a lot at a young age. However, he also mentions his pride in her throughout her rise to the spotlight.
The song also references one of Eilish’s songs,“BLUE,” which the two worked on together. “Part of me is part of you / Just a different shade of blue / Just a littlе family feud,” O’Connell sang.
The album is a great representation of O’Connell’s talent, and it represents him as a solo artist nicely. The album proves he is talented in all aspects, and it will be interesting to see where his career takes him.
