Optimist
Studio album by
Finneas
ReleasedOctober 15, 2021 (2021-10-15)
Length43:01
Label
ProducerFinneas
Finneas chronology
Blood Harmony
(2019) 		Optimist
(2021)
Singles from Optimist
  1. "What They'll Say About Us"
    Released: September 2, 2020
  2. "A Concert Six Months from Now"
    Released: August 5, 2021
  3. "The 90s"
    Released: September 2, 2021
  4. "Love Is Pain"
    Released: October 14, 2021
  5. "Only a Lifetime"
    Released: December 15, 2021
  6. "The Kids Are All Dying"
    Released: January 12, 2022

Optimist is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter Finneas, released on October 15, 2021, through his record label OYOY, distributed by Interscope Records.[1] The album was entirely produced and written by Finneas. It was preceded by the singles "What They'll Say About Us", "A Concert Six Months from Now", and "The 90s".[2]

Critical reception

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (September 2023)
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic72/100[3]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[4]
Dork[5]
Gigwise[6]
The Guardian[7]
The Independent[8]
The Line of Best Fit8/10[9]
NME[10]
Pitchfork5.6/10[11]
Rolling Stone[12]
The Sydney Morning Herald[13]

On review aggregator Metacritic, Optimist received a score of 72 out of 100 based on ten critics' reviews, indicating "generally favorable" reception.[3]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Finneas, except where noted

Optimist – Standard edition
No.TitleLength
1."A Concert Six Months from Now"3:25
2."The Kids Are All Dying"2:47
3."Happy Now?"2:52
4."Only a Lifetime"4:16
5."The 90s"3:23
6."Love Is Pain"3:44
7."Peaches Etude"2:15
8."Hurt Locker"3:26
9."Medieval"2:51
10."Someone Else's Star"3:29
11."Around My Neck"2:55
12."What They'll Say About Us"3:01
13."How It Ends"4:37
Total length:43:01
Optimist – Deluxe edition
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
14."The Kids Are All Dying" (live from Abbey Road Studios) 2:55
15."Only a Lifetime" (live from Abbey Road Studios) 4:16
16."Love Is Pain" (live from Abbey Road Studios) 3:32
17."The Fool on the Hill" (live from Abbey Road Studios)John Lennon, Paul McCartney3:13
Total length:57:04

Personnel

Charts

Chart performance for Optimist
Chart (2021) Peak
position
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[14] 59
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[15] 53
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[16] 127
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[17] 60
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[18] 53
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[19] 40
US Billboard 200[20] 104
US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard)[21] 9

References

  1. ^ Minsker, Evan (August 5, 2021). "Finneas Announces Debut Album Optimist, Shares Video for New Song: Watch". Pitchfork. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
  2. ^ Zemler, Emily (August 5, 2021). "Finneas Previews Debut Album With 'A Concert Six Months From Now'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
  3. ^ a b "Optimist by FINNEAS Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
  4. ^ Donelson, Marcy. "Finneas: Optimist". AllMusic. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
  5. ^ Ackroyd, Stephen (October 13, 2021). "FINNEAS – Optimist". Dork. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
  6. ^ Rigotti, Alex (October 15, 2021). "Album Review: Finneas 'Optimist'". Gigwise. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
  7. ^ Cragg, Michael (October 17, 2021). "Finneas: Optimist review – Billie Eilish's brother plays it straight". The Guardian. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
  8. ^ O'Connor, Roison (October 14, 2021). "Finneas review, Optimist: Stylistically, this debut album has everything". The Independent. Archived from the original on May 24, 2022. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
  9. ^ Dehollogne, Lauren (October 16, 2021). "Finneas chooses cinematic emotional balladry for his debut outing Optimist". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
  10. ^ Daly, Rhian (October 14, 2021). "Finneas – 'Optimist' review: Billie's brother and producer du jour strikes out alone". NME. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
  11. ^ Horn, Olivia (October 18, 2021). "FINNEAS: Optimist Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
  12. ^ Dolan, Jon (October 13, 2021). "Finneas Explores Grand Songwriterly Ambitions on 'Optimist'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
  13. ^ Lal, Kish (October 19, 2021). "Finneas steps out of Billie Eilish's shadow, but he's got a way to go". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
  14. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Finneas – Optimist" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
  15. ^ "Ultratop.be – Finneas – Optimist" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
  16. ^ "Ultratop.be – Finneas – Optimist" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
  17. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Finneas – Optimist" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
  18. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Finneas – Optimist" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
  19. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Finneas – Optimist". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
  20. ^ "Finneas Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
  21. ^ "Finneas Chart History (Top Alternative Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
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