Optimist

FINNEAS - Optimist
Critic Score
Based on 17 reviews
2021 Ratings: #680 / 753
User Score
Based on 431 ratings
2021 Rank: #823
Liked by 42 people
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CRITIC REVIEWS

80
The Independent

Producer and musician’s debut feels like the most cohesive and considered statement of who he is, both as an individual and as a solo artist.

80
Dork
Few artists release a debut album with the kind of expectations FINNEAS finds himself under – all too aware of the comparisons that will be made. It’s to his credit that ‘Optimist’ pays heed to absolutely none of them. Making his own music in his own undeniable way, there’s no need to scream look at me to hold the attention.
80
The Line of Best Fit

With his personal first effort, Finneas has found the brilliant balance between the catchiness of the deepest sadness and the drawing in of monumental lows all the while still maintaining a peaceful glow of calmness. Optimist is unlike any other debut, as this is not an introduction but rather a fateful reckoning.

80
DIY
What begins as a deeply personal commentary eventually evolves into a world-renowned producer taking the attention away from his ability to refine others’ work, alternately placing the spotlight over his own voice, with its startling ability to carry a tale of kindred love, loss and the weight of fame.
80
NME
The other half of the Eilish success story has earned a reputation as a fearsome talent in his own right – and he delivers spectacularly here.
75
Northern Transmissions
It’s a solid offering for him, and shows him to be one of the top pop composers in the game right now.
70
Under the Radar

While not necessarily “solid” and occasionally clumsy, Optimist remains a great release for a disaffected generation that has seen its brushes with the apocalyptic—left-field pop compositions for those not necessarily sold on pop.

70
AllMusic
The album plays like a portfolio, perhaps fitting for a musician still sorting out and amplifying his potential.
60
Rolling Stone

Finneas’s full-length debut shows just how grand his songwriterly ambitions can get.

60
The Sydney Morning Herald

It’s a genre-per-minute album and a little disjointed, the only common theme being the incessant navel-gazing.

60
The Arts Desk
If the lyrics are as honest as they appear, 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.
60
Evening Standard
In contrast to his sister’s more daring work, most of the songs here are in the classic, piano-led singer-songwriter mode.
56
Pitchfork
Without any of the gothic production flourishes that put him on the map, the producer and songwriter’s latest album is gloomy, on edge, and disappointingly hollow.
50
Clash
In between producing albums coated in the sibling’s musical chemistry, FINNEAS has released 20 songs under the mononym. The majority have been intriguing and full of promise. The end production of this period of creation can best be described as middling, full of unfulfilled sonic inventions and discoveries.
50
Gigwise
FINNEAS proves himself to be a competent producer, but the gamut of inoffensive, twee tracks on this album shows he has a way to go as an artist.
40
The Observer
Eilish’s celebrated producer sibling abandons his adventurous instincts on his largely forgettable debut.
BaddieBaphomet
50

NO NUANCE REVIEW

It’s kind of unfair to compare FINNEAS to his sister considering they’re two completely different artists just because they’re brother and sister and he produces for her. But it’s so hard not to because, considering how he’s a key part to one of the more exciting artists in mainstream pop music, his own music is so incredibly uninteresting.

Davibitt1234
69

Edit: i changed my score

Old score: 77

FINNEAS é conhecido por trabalhar junto com Billie em seus álbuns, produzindo-os e ajudando a compor. Porém infelizmente ele não é tão reconhecido pelo público igual Eilish, ficando muito nas sombras de sua irmã. Todavia em Optimist, seu álbum de estreia, mostra o quanto ele pode lançar coisas tão boas quanto sua irmã.

FINNEAS já se mostrou um ótimo ... read more

rafa_7_
68

No seu álbum de estreia, Finneas apresenta um projeto coeso e intimista. O projeto todo produzido e escrito pelo cantor sucede ao seu EP "Blood Harmony" e mostra a evolução de Finneas em todos os aspetos.

Finneas já produziu os álbuns da sua irmã, Billie Eilish, que são bastantes bons e por isso eu esperava mais do seu debut, o lado bom é que ele conseguiu fazer algo um pouco diferente do que já foi visto nos ... read more

80

I think I like this album a lot more than most. Its the definition of 'worth more than its sum of it'd parts'.

Waazze223
65

There are some great tracks on here, but FINNEAS can do better.

piper
60

FAVS: A Concert Six Months From Now, The 90's, How It Ends

LEAST FAVS: Only a Lifetime, Hurt Locker, Someone Else's Star, Around My Neck

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Added on: August 5, 2021