On Friday, four-piece band The Favors released their debut album, “The Dream.” Two of the band’s members are frequent collaborators Ashlyn Rae Willson and Finneas Baird O’Connell — known mononymically as Ashe and FINNEAS, respectively.
As its name suggests, the 12-track album has a dreamlike sound, with the musical prowess of its creators on display since the release of their very first single, “The Little Mess You Made,” on June 6.
FINNEAS is a Grammy-award winning singer, songwriter, producer and actor who has often worked with and produced music for his younger sister, Billie Eilish. FINNEAS and Ashe first gained fame as a duo a few years back for their viral tracks “Till Forever Falls Apart” and “Moral of the Story.”
On “The Dream,” The Favors purport to rewrite the rules of the music industry, describing the record as a “no-rules project that revives the warmth and groove of ’70s pop with razor-sharp songwriting, lush harmonies and a distinctly modern edge.”
But at just over 38 minutes, the record falls short of its lofty goal. Many of the songs, though well-produced, sound the same, and the record’s best track is its first single. While The Favors clearly played around with the conventions of the music industry, for a project they claimed was “no-rules,” they didn’t push it far enough.
The album opens with a short ballad, “Restless Little Heart,” reminiscent of a track from the blockbuster film “Grease.” The fourth track, “The Little Mess You Made” is the highlight of the album — and the music video fits the song perfectly.
“David’s Brother,” the ninth track, tells the beautifully haunting story of a post-breakup spiral, echoing Rick Springfield’s “Jessie’s Girl” as the pair sings “Got me wishing I was David’s brother.” The song’s music video, filled with beautifully cinematic shots directed by FINNEAS’s partner Claudia Sulewski, elevates the storytelling to a new level.
The closing track, “Home Sweet Home,” brings the album together with a haunting melody that begins to crescendo as the lyrics repeat “and it all comes back, it all comes back / It all comes back to you” before breaking into a fun, disco-esque tune.
In the second-to-last track, “Someday I’ll Be Back In Hollywood,” the band’s drummer, David Marinelli, steps up from drums to vocals. While it’s unexpected, his voice adds a gravelly note the rest of the album lacks.
While several of the songs have more upbeat melodies, the band also made sure to include a few tearjerkers, namely “Necessary Evils,” a mournful lament about the necessity of losing love. The track is followed by another heartbreaking ballad, “Times Square Jesus,” where FINNEAS and Ashe’s vocals shine in a beautiful, album-defining harmony.
The whole album is a musical journey that combines 2025 with the 1970s in a way that requires a few listens to truly appreciate, but is well worth the time and thought. During each listen, it feels like a new gem is being unearthed in each song that wasn’t there the first time around.
These gems leave listeners with the nostalgic feeling that they’ve uncovered something old that was never quite finished in its day — like a posthumously published book, or a trove of unsent letters.
Talia LeVine is a section editor covering arts and culture. They study Political Science and Visual Art with a focus on photography. In their free time, they can be found drinking copious amounts of coffee.
