Artist: FINNEAS
Album: Blood Harmony
Record Label: OYOY
Recommended Tracks: Track 4 “I Don’t Miss You At All” , Track 5 “Partners in Crime”
Finneas O’Connell, known by his moniker FINNEAS, released a brand new EP on October 4, 2019. His sound as a solo-artist establishes his own unique and contrasting style that separates him from his collaborations. The EP is titled, Blood Harmony, and it has seven tracks resulting in a total listening experience of twenty-three minutes. When listening and soaking in the lyrics, you get a sense of how personal and thoughtful FINNEAS approaches these songs. Each track tells a story that stand alone among each other, but they have common themes of loss, love, and growing up. Sonically, the production of the EP is very impressive. FINNEAS turns to using low, rich-beats that create an atmospheric sound at the core of this EP. They compliment his vocal range and layer nicely underneath the softer tones of his voice. Overall, the EP has a satisfying variety as it opens with an emotional and personal track and then transitions back and forth from fast-paced songs to slow-burning melodies. As a whole, I rate the EP a solid 3.5 out of 5.
The fourth song, “I Don’t Miss You at All” deserves praise for its instrumentation and production. He approaches the context in an interesting way when you consider how in the beginning, the lyrics juxtapose the tone of the electronic beats that create a feeling of tension. Lyrically, he sings about no longer missing someone that he was once close to. A shift occurs when he realizes that he actually thinks about this person a lot but he knows that it would be a disaster if they were close again, resulting in him pretending that he doesn’t think about them anymore. The electronic beats are the most captivating part of this song and it showcases FINNEAS’ talented producing skills.
The fifth song, “Partners in Crime,” is also a song that I recommend people check out. It’s a smooth song throughout as it opens with acoustic guitar and hushed singing. When you reach the 30-second mark, the full production comes together as drum beats are layered underneath, adding a sense of depth and warmth. Lyrically, FINNEAS seems to be reminiscing about the memories that he shared with a significant other before losing contact with them.
Blood Harmony is a strong EP release and it gives a taste of FINNEAS’ defining sound as a solo artist hints at what to expect on an upcoming album. He has a unique sound and when you listen to the EP, you get the idea that he really pays a lot of attention to detail in his sound to make each track stand out from each other while still sounding cohesive. If you are not yet familiar with FINNEAS, I suggest that you give his music a chance.
