At the start of the month, October 4th to be exact, Finneas O’Connell, brother of the known rising star Billie Eilish, released his debut EP called Blood Harmony. This EP includes seven songs that he wrote and produced. This debut EP also includes four previously released songs. After hearing these songs from the EP, it’s safe to say that this is a strong start for Finneas and here’s a track-by-track review of why this EP is a strong start.
I Lost a Friend
This debut EP opens with one of the four previously released songs. I think that this song should’ve been the second track of this EP but this song does make a great first track. The start of this song was pretty somber and mellow but the beats got stronger and rougher towards the end of the song. Finneas’ vocals are mesmerizing as always and in this song, his vocals have so many emotions that make the song sounds even more beautiful. In an interview with Rolling Stones, Finneas explained how this song is about how he stopped talking with a close friend of his in last year’s summer. He also explained how he was extra careful when writing this story because he didn’t want to be the “hero” in this story and how much people relate to this song. This song talks about how much it hurts when you lose a long-term friend because of some arguments with them and, again, Finneas delivers the agony beautifully with the lyrics and his vocals.
Shelter
I got to say, this song is my favorite in the EP. It’s almost as if slow songs are his signature move and I just love how upbeat is this song. Finneas has written and sang upbeat and head-bopping songs before such as “Claudia“, a song he made for his girlfriend, Claudia Sulewski, but “Shelter” is the most upbeat and danceable song that he ever made. The beat in this song is simple but it surely will make you want to get up from your seat and just start dancing and singing along with this song. The tempo of this song also has this sense of urgency and the lyrics are so well-made. I can assure you that you won’t be bored even if you’ve replayed this song a lot of times; you just want to keep listening! Finneas also stated in an interview with Coup de Main that he wrote this song in about 45 minutes, then he recorded the demo and he became attached to this song was very fun for him to sing.
Lost My Mind
Back at it again with the slow, heartbreaking song. “Lost My Mind” is the third song of the EP and it’s a perfect cooling down song from the upbeat “Shelter”. As said before, when it comes to the slow and heartbreaking songs, Finneas is the master in both lyrical content and his vocals. This song is so well-written; the lyrics in this song are unlike your typical sad break-up song. His vocals also deliver the lyrics beautifully. This song is about how much that special person that used to be yours means a lot to you and how much you miss them beside you.
I Don’t Miss You At All
The vibe of this song is so fun and upbeat. The beats are simple but head-bopping. The lyrics of this song are so creatively written and playful sounding. At the start of the song, some lyrics caught my eyes like: “All but forgotten/about those eyes/the shade of green that if he’d seen/would make F. Scott Fitzgerald cry”. It’s clearly stated from the lyrics that you’re trying to forget about someone you used to love. This song also starts with: “I swear I don’t/miss you at all” as if trying to swear to yourself that you really won’t miss them anymore. But as the song nears the end, some lyrics showed that you are clearly failing to forget about them: “But I think our song is comin’ on/and now I wanna crash the car”. I love how the story of this song is so well delivered with these creative lyrics.
Partners in Crime
The pattern in this EP is quite visible now. After a slow song, there’s an upbeat song and after that, there’s another slow song and so on. This song is honestly very calming, sound-wise. The chill guitars and Finneas’ amazing vocals matched up incredibly well. The lyrics also flow really well that made the story clear and I just love how every chorus has lyrics that aren’t repeated. Same as the title, this song tells how you and that special someone became partners in crime. It starts with just taking care of each other to actually got arrested by the police and ends with distancing yourselves. But, of course, the story is fiction even though some are true.
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Let’s Fall in Love for the Night
Now this song is the most familiar for the fans since this song was released last year. Between the release of this song and the EP, Finneas released two other songs that aren’t included in this EP and those songs are “Claudia” and “Angel“. This song is pretty upbeat even though not as upbeat as “Shelter”. The lyrics are so sweet and so well-written. Also, the little bits of details in this song are so creative. Like the sound that kinda sounds like thunder, how Finneas’ voice sounds like a recorded message and the sound of frogs croaking at the end of the song. This song tells a story where you’re trying to convince the special someone how you are way better for them than anyone else, what you love about them and how well you’ll treat them. Including this song in the EP is definitely a smart move by Finneas.
Die Alone
As to how this EP opens with a slow and heart-breaking song, this EP also ends with a slow and romantic song instead of a heart-breaking song. I will never get enough of how Finneas includes those small details, as stated before, in his songs. This song starts with a slow piano that’s accompanied by the sounds of the street on a rainy day, a sound of a motorbike passing on the break between the first chorus and second verse and a car crash sound at the start of an instrumental break near the end. The lyrics are so beautifully written and Finneas’ vocals are mesmerizing as always but I got to say, his vocals in this song are the most stunning sounding in this EP.
If the sky darkens above you
I’ll stay by your side in the afterglow– “Die Alone” by Finneas
I kinda wish this EP includes more songs that he previously released but, of course, this is just an EP and it is so safe to say that this debut EP is such a strong start for his career. His creativity in songwriting, how his lyrics highlight his storytelling skills, the unique small details in his songs and, of course, his mesmerizing, captivating, beautiful vocals are the keys that I believe will take him to success. Let’s just hope that he will soon announce his debut album next but now, go stream Blood Harmony that’s available on Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer and SoundCloud.
Featured Image via Finneas’ Official Twitter
