Crafty lyricism, production shine in The Favors’ imperfect debut album
While performing at Juice Jam two weeks ago, Ashe gave her audience some backstory on her new band, The Favors. She explained that her and her counterpart FINNEAS both came into The Favors with one song, both of which appear on their new album, “The Dream.” Christian Calabrese | Asst. Photo Editor
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Picture this: it’s early 2021, you’re scrolling through TikTok, and you hear a catchy tune with the lyrics, “If the tide takes California / I’m so glad I got to hold ya.” You search the song and find Ashe and FINNEAS are the artists behind it. The song is titled “Till Forever Falls Apart.”
Congratulations, you’ve just heard your first taste of The Favors.
The Favors released their debut album, “The Dream,” on Sept. 19, spanning 38 minutes with 12 tracks. Ashlyn Rae Willson, an indie-pop singer-songwriter, and Finneas O’Connell, musician and longtime producer for sister Billie Eilish, formed The Favors in June, along with drummer/guitarist David Marinelli and guitarist/percussionist Ricky Gourmet.
The group was born from a history of collaboration, beginning back in 2019 with Ashe’s FINNEAS-produced breakout single “Moral of the Story”, which peaked at No. 71 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2020 following its viral moment.
While Ashe and FINNEAS are simply friends and not romantic partners, their remarkable storytelling abilities shine through from beginning to end in their first venture as they sing about love.
The album opens with a prelude duet, “Restless Little Heart,” with FINNEAS and Ashe both proclaiming themselves as “a fool in love” in a jazz-influenced style. From there, the title track picks up the energy. It’s a spunky drum-forward lament about life that propels the album’s momentum in the right direction.
The album continues this drive while displaying the artists’ versatility in “Moonshine.” The Favors sing about ill-fated love to country-esque instrumentals that’re undeniably sultry.
“Lost in your gaze, the lines on your face mean nothing to me,” they sing.
Singles “The Little Mess You Made” and “The Hudson,” released before the album, follow this. In Ashe’s recent performance at University Union’s Juice Jam, she performed both. She explained that when forming the band, FINNEAS and her each came to the process with a song. Hers was “The Hudson,” and his was “The Little Mess You Made.”
When listening to both singles, each creator’s influence is evident. “The Little Mess You Made,” which concerns a cheating scandal, begins mellowly before easing into a buildup — a FINNEAS special. Meanwhile, “The Hudson” showcases Ashe’s hallmark lyricism, with the Nashville native’s stellar vocals on full display.
From there, the album’s energy dips, with the warm and jazzy “Ordinary People” interluding the second half of the album.
The mellow energy continues with downtrodden ballads “Necessary Evils” and “Times Square Jesus.” While “Times Square Jesus” provides vividly heartbreaking imagery, “Necessary Evils” does little to breathe new life into the story’s central theme of two people madly, and unfortunately, in love.
“David’s Brother” revitalizes the album, showcasing The Favor’s true potential as a supergroup. As they sing about finding themselves and the woes of your early 30s, the elegant lyrics reflect a sincerity which can only come from the best of the two lead singers’ solo careers.
Though earlier ballads had a tendency to drag on, “Lake George” makes up for its downtempo with sophisticated lyrics and a delightfully simple piano melody. These elements work in harmony to perfectly accompany lines like “I’d be just about anyone else tonight / Who’s not loving you,” solidifying its place as the best ballad on the album.
The penultimate track, “Someday I’ll Be Back In Hollywood” features David Marinelli, the band’s drummer, on lead vocals. The concept is intriguing, but as the second-to-last track, a new lead vocal feels disjointed with the rest of the story. While the track’s angsty lyrics sound compelling in theory, questions like “F*ck the meaning of life, what’s the meaning of death?” feel juvenile in practice.
Despite the album’s weaker second half, “Home Sweet Home” closes “The Dream” out with a bang. Powered by an infectious guitar beat and ending on the line “I’ve had a hard time letting you go,” the concluding track will leave you simultaneously dancing and wondering about the fate of The Favors.
“The Dream” isn’t a perfect album. It hits a second-half slump, and at times the album’s fluid genre shifting feels like more of an identity crisis than anything else.
But it would be blasphemous to say that the album’s upside doesn’t outweigh its flaws. The craftful lyrics, creative production and Ashe and FINNEAS’ vocals work to create a refreshingly authentic work in a music landscape currently occupied by seas of synth-pop anthems.
