FINNEAS For Cryin' Out Loud
FINNEAS's For Cryin' Out Loud announces a clearer solo identity, folding soft rock and Americana into tightly crafted pop songs that often land as intimate confessions rather than producer showcases. Across three professional reviews the record earned a 70/100 consensus score, and critics repeatedly point to personal lyrics, youthful naivety and polished popcraft as the album's defining features.
Critics consistently praise the album's standout tracks: “Family Feud” emerges as the emotional center, while “Little Window” and “2001” supply the record's most winning moments. Reviewers note a bandlike collaborative feel that lets dusky Americana textures breathe on “Little Window”, an Eighties-tinged rush on “Lotus Eater”, and a Harry Styles-esque shimmy in “2001” that underlines FINNEAS's knack for direct, wistful hooks. Across three reviews, professional critics agree that those songs are among the best songs on For Cryin' Out Loud, balancing sleek production restraint with emotionally specific songwriting.
There is nuance in the critical reception: some reviews celebrate the album as a confident step into artistic independence and intimate storytelling, while others find the second half occasionally formulaic and miss some of his more experimental edges. Taken together, the critical consensus suggests For Cryin' Out Loud is worth hearing for its standout tracks, its polished popcraft, and moments of genuine melancholy that reveal FINNEAS beyond his work as a producer. Read on for full reviews and track-level breakdowns.
Critics' Top Tracks
The standout songs that made critics take notice
Family Feud
2 mentions
"Penultimate ballad ‘Family Feud’ could land in the realms of schmaltz were it not for the poignancy"— DIY Magazine
Little Window
2 mentions
"Maybe it’s this that makes ‘Little Window’'s dusky Americana"— DIY Magazine
Lotus Eater
1 mention
"“Lotus Eater” is a sleek, Eighties-tinged heartburn with a blurry bassline and a vaulting melody"— Rolling Stone
Penultimate ballad ‘Family Feud’ could land in the realms of schmaltz were it not for the poignancy
Track Ratings
How critics rated each track, relative to this album (0-100). Only tracks that made critics feel something are rated.
Starfucker
What’s It Gonna Take To Break Your Heart?
Cleats
Little Window
2001
Same Old Story
Sweet Cherries
For Cryin' Out Loud!
Family Feud
Lotus Eater
What Critics Are Saying
Deep insights from 5 critics who reviewed this album
Critic's Take
Lisa Wright writes with measured admiration that FINNEAS finally sounds like his own artist on For Cryin' Out Loud, singling out “Little Window” and “2001” as moments where the change in approach pays off. She highlights the album's collaborative band feel, noting how that chemistry lets dusky Americana in “Little Window” and a Harry Styles-esque shimmy in “2001” genuinely shine. The reviewer also praises opener “Starfucker” for its jazz-bar piano and wry lyrics, and finds the penultimate ballad “Family Feud” poignantly specific rather than schmaltzy. Overall, Wright frames these as the best tracks on For Cryin' Out Loud, evidence that FINNEAS can stand independently of his sister's shadow.
Key Points
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The best song is best because collaborative band chemistry lets its Americana and character genuinely shine.
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The album’s core strengths are specific, witty lyrics and varied arrangements that establish FINNEAS as his own artist.
Themes
Critic's Take
FINNEAS leans into tender hooks and wistful melodies on For Cryin' Out Loud, trading some of his experimental edge for a more direct, youthful soft-rock sound. The reviewer hears romance and melancholia threaded throughout, with moments that recall early Coldplay and noughties soft rock rather than his electronic collaborations. The record's best tracks - especially those that showcase his crooning, plaintive melodies - stand out as the clearest winners on the album. While the latter half feels a touch formulaic, the album still delivers several memorable songs that answer the question of the best tracks on For Cryin' Out Loud convincingly.
Key Points
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The best song(s) highlight FINNEAS's tender hooks and plaintive crooning, making them the album's emotional center.
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The album's core strengths are its romantic, melancholic songwriting and clear soft-rock direction, despite some formulaic moments.
Themes
Critic's Take
The best songs on For Cryin' Out Loud are the ones that slip past Finneas' show-biz wink and reveal a real heart: “Family Feud” stands out as the album's emotional center, a sweet acoustic meditation that makes you wish for that kind of sibling bond. He also scores with the sleek, Eighties-tinged rush of “Lotus Eater” and the spare intimacy of “Little Window”, moments where his popcraft feels less like a résumé and more like something personal. The record shuffles between melodrama and tenderness, but those tracks give the clearest reason to care about the best songs on For Cryin' Out Loud.
Key Points
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“Family Feud” is the album’s emotional centerpiece because it offers genuine personal intimacy and justifies the record’s existence.
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The album’s core strength is polished popcraft that alternates between melodrama and spare intimacy, producing several genuinely affecting tracks.