Optimist

"Finneas er afgjort en kanondygtig producer, men hans debutalbum mangler kunstneriske målsætninger og ambitioner. Jeg når nok at lytte til begge Billie Eilishs albumudgivelser adskillige gange, før jeg næste gang vender tilbage til 'Optimist' ... Finneas når ingenlunde højderne, han har opnået i samarbejde med sin søster, Billie Eilish. Han lyder derimod som en kunstner, der ikke helt har fundet en lyd eller en æstetik, der klæder ham".

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"The melodies are strong too, just occasionally meandering but never forgettable. The downfall, though, is stylistic. Where Billie's ASMR voice and goth teen presence draw threads together into a clear identity, Finneas struggles. His voice, both literal and figurative, isn't entirely his own ... Finneas is extremely reflective, and perhaps the faltering attempts to find his own identity hint at an artist capable of self-realisation over the long term. If he is - and if he is given the space to experiment outside of his star-maker machine functionality - then he certainly has the talent and personality to create something truly glorious".

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"'Optimist' has been a long time coming - it follows a whopping 23 singles released since 2016 - and fully justifies why he's become the industry's producer du jour.The record takes two paths to do that - classic, timeless pop songwriting and something more modern and cutting-edge. He excels at both, bringing rich, warm melodies to life while flexing his experimental chops ... 'Optimist' is an accomplished first album that really shines and, given Finneas' track record so far, we wouldn't have expected anything less".

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"While Optimist makes a good case for FINNEAS' skills around a pop melody and a perceptive viewpoint, he also drops the instrumental piano piece "Peaches Etude" in the middle of the track list. Accordingly, the album plays like a portfolio, perhaps fitting for a musician still sorting out and amplifying his potential".

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"Der [er] noget sært identitetsløst over den musik, Finneas laver til sin egen stemme. Tankerne ledes hen på 'X Factor'-auditions' singer-songwriters og unge mænd, der står ved Storkespringvandet i indre by og spiller generiske coverversioner af tidens største hits ... Det er sjældent, at jeg fra første nummer på et album er klar over, at det ikke fungerer, og at sangene mangler den særlige ekstra dybde og indlevelse, der gør, at man ikke kan glemme dem. Og efter at have brugt de sidste mange regnvejrsdage i selskab med Finneas Baird O'Connell og hans album 'Optimist' er jeg ikke blevet mere forelsket i sangene hen ad vejen, albummet har ikke langsomt åbnet sig, det er ligefrem gledet ind i øregangene og direkte ud igen".

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