With almost a decade of experience at 27 years old, FINNEAS has just released his second solo album For Cryin’ Out Loud! and it’s clear he’s not stopping anytime soon. FINNEAS not only writes and produces all of his own music, but he also helps write and produce for his sister Billie Eilish, who just came out with her third album this May. With two albums out, and a tour in a few months, it comes as a surprise that FINNEAS has had time to work on other projects. He’s collaborated with big names like Benny Blanco, Jack Harlow, and Justin Bieber in the past; making For Cryin’ Out Loud! that much more impressive.

While he has found success in his solo career, it’s clear that he continues to foster it purely for his own enjoyment as a singer and performer. Within this album, it’s as if FINNEAS has made the nonstop chaos of his life into sound, walking the line of overwhelm with the endless layers in each song. Folded in, sometimes sneakily like in “Same Old Story” or boldly like “What’s It Gonna Take to Break Your Heart,” his sister’s voice adds variation and depth; complexity always being a word that comes to mind when listening to FINNEAS’ music.

He starts us off with “Starfucker,” a warm, witty, and raw welcome to what has developed over the last three years. If you’ve listened to FINNEAS before, you won’t be surprised by the blunt lyrics, falling back into his usual style of writing like time never passed in the first place. As the song progresses, it builds up to belong in the climax of a romantic drama, taking the listener through a cinematic experience. This is exactly what you’d expect from such a decorated musician; having ten Grammys at the release of For Cryin’ Out Loud!, FINNEAS evokes emotion from the listener like no other.

Quite a few of the songs on the album are drum-heavy, like “What’s It Gonna Take to Break Your Heart,” “Sweet Cherries,” and “For Cryin’ Out Loud!” making it hard not to tap along. Bass and electric guitar are also very prevalent, both used to create an unexpected groove within this pop rock LP. “Sweet Cherries” brings another level of funk, stopping a healthy mix of guitar, drums, and synthesizer as if the song is over only to give us more. The second half starts with a 180, giving us raw vocals and piano; a solemn twist. Soon enough it picks up again, this time heavier on bass, with the electric guitar now echoing back piano riffs over the same drums. It’s a refreshment of what was already so good, convincing the listener they’ve moved onto the next track when the eighth still remains two and a half minutes away. This creative decision, to keep what could’ve been two songs as one, speaks to where FINNEAS’s intentions lie; not with streams or money, but the art of it all.

Balancing out the high tempo songs are slower, more vulnerable songs like “Little Window” and “Family Feud.” Within the latter, FINNEAS gives us insight into his relationship with his sister who’s five years younger than him at 22. He sings about how they’re both adults and what it means for her to have such a successful career as young as she is. Layering his voice, he harmonizes primarily with a guitar and keeps it simple. Ironically enough his sister doesn’t accompany him on this track, as if it’s for her and only her to hear. Little details like this make listening to the album more and more interesting each time, speaking to the years it took for this album to be released in the end.

For Cryin’ Out Loud!’ is getting 5 out of 5 stars because it lives up not only to the pop rock genre, but FINNEAS’ reputation as one of the greatest producers of our time. Each song is its own ecosystem of sound, every sound existing in unison together; only apart when listened to close enough. There’s just enough humor and vulnerability to make it a well-rounded work conceptually; glimpsing at whom FINNEAS is beyond his career. This album is both for lyric enthusiasts and melody/beat lovers alike. In essence, no matter what you prefer in the music you listen to, this album has it all.

For Cryin’ Out Loud!, a journey through ecosystems of sound

The multitalented actress, model, and singer Suki Waterhouse has released her second studio album less than six months after having a child. The best way to describe it: dreamy; a word that encapsulates the entirety of Memoir of a Sparklemuffin while still leaving room for all else Suki Waterhouse has to offer. The harmonies, reverb, and strategic silences make the listener feel as if they’ve fallen asleep under a sea of fireflies. Not only does each song on the album fit together, but the album fits well within Waterhouse’s discography. She gives us pop, indie rock, and more; her voice never once sounding out of place. Named after none other than the Sparklemuffin spider, this album takes the listener through bits and pieces of her life almost as if you’re experiencing them yourself. Waterhouse doesn’t mince words; telling us exactly what and how it happened throughout each song and in turn, each story.

The first track ‘Gateway Drug’ is only fitting to start off the album, insinuating that this song is your gateway drug to the other seventeen songs. Softly, Waterhouse eases into the song with electric guitar plucking tamely behind her. This gives us a look into the rest of the album, and before long drums join her; willing the guitar to match the energy. There’s a good mix of high and low energy songs dispersed evenly throughout. The slowest and dreamiest of the album ‘Lullaby’ sits comfortably in the middle, acting like an intermission between her experiences. It follows the slow solemn ‘To Get To You,’ though gives zero warning of the pop rock ‘Big Love’ afterwards. This is both jolting and exhilarating, giving the listener a rush and early on prefaces the last song on the album: ‘To Love.’ It ends us off on the same high that began our listening journey. At first listen it feels unfinished, but when taking a step back to look at the album as a whole the last track gives it not only finality but continuity. You could listen to this album again and again, not even realizing when it’s ended or begun; a nod to the immortality of the stories within these eighteen tracks.

Waterhouse sings of heartbreak, lawsuits, and love; leaving nothing on the table lyrically. Instrumentally, however, there’s a lot of repetition. While that makes the album feel unified, it also makes it difficult to individualize some of the songs. There is, like previously stated, pop and indie rock throughout and that does sort the song into categories. A hint of a third category emerges throughout in ‘My Fun’ and ‘Faded,’ both songs incorporating new elements into Waterhouse’s recognizable style.

I’m giving Memoir of a Sparklemuffin by Suki Waterhouse 4.5/5 stars because it is truly a great album that only Waterhouse could create. Her distinct voice flows with ease throughout each song, making the listening experience that much better. It’s not 5/5 stars because there is some repetition where there could be something different. That is the struggle when creating an album, deciding how together you want it to sound. Overall, this album is a beautiful project, and we can only wonder what she will do next.

Abigail Whitney