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Encompassing stunning vocals, gut-wrenching harmonies, storytelling and channelling intense emotions of love, loss, and the search for clarity, the album is a ‘Dream’ in many forms.
It is not the first time that FINNEAS and Ashe have collaborated. The pair worked together on the viral sensation, ‘Moral of the Story’, back in 2019, and their reunion has immediately exceeded this high standard. It is their first full album together, and it is a masterclass in duetting.
The musicians’ chemistry is evident throughout the album and in the three music videos released so far. It is thanks to this that each track not just tells a story but also acts it out, with the singers engaging in conversation with each other in call-and-response or blending into exquisite harmonies. Not only do their voices complement each other flawlessly, but their eye contact and on-stage performance are poignant and authentic in a way that is reminiscent of Fleetwood Mac. In fact, Fleetwood Mac’s influence is abundant in ‘The Dream’, from the beautiful, intimate album cover of the pair to its 70s-rock-inspired, raw sound. Yet it also feels refreshingly modern; there is certainly a Daisy Jones & The Six feel to the album.
Writing together for The Favors is, according to a recent Instagram announcement, “unfiltered, no expectations, zero pressure… what came out of that was an accidental romantic comedy we couldn’t turn off”. This raw creative energy translates into the album from the opening, ‘Restless Little Heart’, a short but sweet acoustic track which sets a precedent for the album, displaying the singers’ gorgeous, real voices, before transitioning smoothly into the titular track with “F*ck it up” and an anticipatory drumbeat. The opening builds up gradually, picking up the pace before crescendoing into the chorus of ‘The Dream’, and the tension climaxes in the song’s heartfelt and frustrated bridge, “I know if you wanted to call, you would…”, showcasing just some of the emotions which pervade the whole album. It might have been “accidental”, but it is nevertheless coherent and thoughtful throughout.
It must be said that the singles are a highlight of ‘The Dream’, especially ‘The Little Mess You Made’ (released in June). The track captivatingly encapsulates a frustrated, confused and even cynical story of lost love. First, FINNEAS sings the opening verse, claiming “Maybe second place / Is just the first to lose / You can have your cake / You can have mine too”, then Ashe responds with an equally crushing verse, including “The littlest mistake / Can leave the darkest bruise”, reflecting on the uncertainty and defeat of their situation, one in which one “little mess” has caused irreparable damage that is anything but “little”. These emotions amplify throughout the song and peak in another hard-hitting bridge in which they sing these lyrics in call and response before cutting into a closing chorus of “Say when / You’ll never see me again”; they tell a shattering story of two people equally hurt by each other but unable to move forward. It is safe to say The Favors know how to do a bridge right.
‘The Hudson’ and ‘Times Square Jesus’ stand-out just as much. The former track explores the intimacy of loving and believing in someone when you barely know yourself – “the only truth I know is you”. Whilst the latter track is just as gritty and vulnerable as The Favors sing, “Everybody knows that you're my weakness… Every time I walk by Times Square Jesus / He tells me to confess before my grave”. FINNEAS describes in an interview with Complex how Jesus in Times Square forces even non-religious people to confront their own “life, regrets, desires or baggage”, and this inspiration for the song explains its confessional and reflective tone – yet the speaker rejects this, claiming “I don’t wanna be saved”. Maybe they have accepted defeat, reject this religious pressure to face themselves, or simply don’t want to be “saved” by another, or maybe there is some comfort in the pain, and being “saved” would mean accepting moving on.
These singles were clearly chosen as singles for a reason, yet they are no exception and these themes of memory, nostalgia, and loss come to the fore in other equally impactful tracks, such as the gut-wrenching ‘Necessary Evils’. This song delves into the pain that goes into both loving and losing, and how sometimes the “evils” of loss are “necessary” to avoid those of being with someone, facing the fact that if someone had ‘never been born’ you’d have been spared of the pain they have inadvertently caused you – with alluring choral backing vocals, this track will not fail to pull on heartstrings.
Further highlights include ‘Ordinary People’, a subtle, jazzy, understated track, and the dreamy but devastating ‘Lake George’. Through stunning strings and striking chord progressions, it relays the difficulty of moving on – “The thought of you anywhere makes me cry”, “I’d be just about anyone else tonight who’s not loving you”. Sometimes the only solution to inescapable grief seems to be becoming someone else – a theme that comes to the fore again in the memorable track ‘David’s Brother’. In their own words, much of the album is about the harsh truth that “the cost of loving is losing”.
Yet as much as the album explores loss of love, it is also about finding self-love, ambition and proving people wrong – achieving ‘The Dream’ for yourself. ‘Someday I’ll Be Back In Hollywood’ is a perfect example of this. Featuring Marinelli, this is a hopeful and assertive track telling the story of an artist close to giving up, but affirming “Someday I’ll be back in Hollywood / And you’re gonna pay for what you’ve said ‘bout me”. This is a song for anyone who has been told they are not good enough or should settle for a job that doesn’t bring them happiness. It is no coincidence that The Favors covered Miley Cyrus’ ‘The Climb’ in a BBC Radio 1 Piano Session - a ‘Dream’ is as an “uphill battle” in which you’re “gonna have to lose” but “it’s all about the climb”.
‘Home Sweet Home’ brings a joyous conclusion to the album; where the singers earlier were uncertain and self-doubting, here they have found ‘The Dream’ in an upbeat dance anthem of reunion which leaves the album on a high. ‘The Dream’ might be charged by difficult emotions of loss, heartache and uncertainty, but it is fundamentally hopeful and bursting with love.
Emily Sanderson
Image: Alex G Harper
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