''Blood Harmony'' is the debut

extended play An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.

by American singer-songwriter

Finneas Finneas Baird O'Connell (born July 30, 1997), known mononymously as Finneas ( stylized in all caps), is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actor. He has written and produced music for various artists, most notably his sister, ...

. It was released by his

record label A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the produ ...

OYOY, distributed by

AWAL AWAL (an initialism of Artists Without a Label) is a British music distribution company owned by Sony Music Entertainment. The company serves as an alternative to the traditional music label deal, offering deal structures to artists and independ ...

, on October 4, 2019. All of the material on the EP was produced and written by Finneas. ''Blood Harmony'' was supported by the release of four singles, from 2018 to 2019. The

lead single A lead single (also known as a debut single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. Release s ...

, " Let's Fall in Love for the Night" peaked at numbers 17 and 24 on the US '' Billboard'' Alternative Songs and

Rock Airplay The ''Billboard'' charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs and albums in the United States and elsewhere. The results are published in ''Billboard'' magazine. ''Billboard'' biz, the online extension of the ''Billboard'' charts, pr ...

charts, respectively. Finneas toured the United States throughout October 2019 in support of the EP. A deluxe edition was released on August 7, 2020, featuring the 2018 single " Break My Heart Again" and a new version of "Let's Fall in Love for the Night" entitled "Let's Fall in Love for the Night (1964)". The EP peaked at number 14 on the US Heatseekers Albums chart and number 47 on the Lithuanian Albums chart.

Background and release

Finneas teased ''Blood Harmony'' in August 2019. The EP marked Finneas' first solo release after co-writing and producing material for his sister

Billie Eilish Billie Eilish Pirate Baird O'Connell ( ; born December 18, 2001) is an American singer-songwriter. She first gained public attention in 2015 with her debut single " Ocean Eyes", written and produced by her brother Finneas O'Connell, with whom ...

for several years. He expressed a desire for the "title to remain ambiguous to listeners, and for everyone to be able to imbue it with their own meaning and justification", but clarified that "blood harmony" is an "expression for what it sounds like when siblings sing together, that biologic chemistry — I think that speaks for itself".

Composition and lyrics

''Blood Harmony'' is primarily a pop record. The EP opens with " I Lost a Friend", an electropop

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

. The song features minimalist production of

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keybo ...

, drums, layered harmonies, an aggressive beat, and synthesizer. Lyrically, it addresses the pain and confusion when losing a friend. The following track, "

Shelter Shelter is a small building giving temporary protection from bad weather or danger. Shelter may also refer to: Places * Port Shelter, Hong Kong * Shelter Bay (disambiguation), various locations * Shelter Cove (disambiguation), various locatio ...

", is a pop-based track. The track features a tropical beat, electric guitar,

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

-based guitars, drum beats,

gospel Gospel originally meant the Christian message (" the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words a ...

choir effect that appear during the chorus, reverb'd handclaps, bluesy vocal embellishment, and rapid phrasing in the

bridge A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...

. Lyrically, "Shelter" is about a love for a girl that brings Finneas peace but has an undercurrent of trouble. Tosten Burks, writing for '' Spin'' magazine, compared the track to the works of

Ed Sheeran Edward Christopher Sheeran (; born 17 February 1991) is an English singer-songwriter. Born in Halifax, West Yorkshire and raised in Framlingham, Suffolk, he began writing songs around the age of eleven. In early 2011, Sheeran independently re ...

. "Lost My Mind" is a more subdued track. Lyrically, Finneas realizes he is in love and wonders if his feelings are really true. " I Don't Miss You at All" was described as a "longing" dark pop track. It sees Finneas sing about

F. Scott Fitzgerald Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald (September 24, 1896 – December 21, 1940) was an American novelist, essayist, and short story writer. He is best known for his novels depicting the flamboyance and excess of the Jazz Age—a term he popularize ...

, the author of the 1925 classic novel ''

The Great Gatsby ''The Great Gatsby'' is a 1925 novel by American writer F. Scott Fitzgerald. Set in the Jazz Age on Long Island, near New York City, the novel depicts first-person narrator Nick Carraway's interactions with mysterious millionaire Jay Gatsby ...

'', and express his desire to reunite with his past lover while getting angry when the past seemingly blends gets into the present. "Partners in Crime" addresses a story of a dangerous and fading love, and reveals the result of buying into Hollywood stereotypes of intertwining love and thrill-seeking. " Let's Fall in Love for the Night" is a pop track. The song's lyrics are about a girl Finneas has never met in person but finds comfort by dreaming about being together with her in an alternate universe, but only temporarily. ''Blood Harmony'' closes with "Die Alone", a romantic meditation about love. The deluxe edition of ''Blood Harmony'' contains two extra tracks. " Break My Heart Again" is an

indie pop Indie pop (also typeset as indie-pop or indiepop) is a music genre and subculture that combines guitar pop with DIY ethic in opposition to the style and tone of mainstream pop music. It originated from British post-punk in the late 1970s and su ...

ballad. The sound of typing and sending messages is heard for the majority of the song, with it being almost entirely composed of real texts between Finneas and a former lover. Lyrically, Finneas confesses to being constantly hurt by the one he cares about. An alternative version of "Let's Fall in Love for the Night", titled "Let's Fall in Love for the Night (1964)", is a

lullaby A lullaby (), or cradle song, is a soothing song or piece of music that is usually played for (or sung to) children (for adults see music and sleep). The purposes of lullabies vary. In some societies they are used to pass down cultural knowledg ...

-influenced track. Critical commentary noted the influence of Frank Sinatra.

Release and promotion

''Blood Harmony'' was released by Finneas'

OYOY, and distributed by

, on October 4, 2019. A deluxe edition of the EP was released on August 7, 2020. "Let's Fall in Love for the Night" was released as the

from ''Blood Harmony'' on October 19, 2018. Although the song did not chart initially, it became a

sleeper hit In the entertainment industry, a sleeper hit is a film, television series, music release, video game, or some other entertainment product that was initially unsuccessful on release but became a success later on. A sleeper hit may have little prom ...

in 2020, peaking at number 17 and 24 on the US '' Billboard'' Alternative Songs and

charts, respectively. It has received a gold certification in Canada by Music Canada (MC), which denotes track-equivalent sales of forty-thousand units based on sales and streams. A

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device ...

for the track was released on March 19, 2020, and received its broadcast on MTV Live,

MTVU MTVU (formerly stylized as MtvU and mtvU) is an American digital cable TV channel owned by the MTV Entertainment Group, a unit of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. The channel was first known as VH1 Uno from 2000 to ...

, MTV International, and the ''Viacom Times Square Billboards''. The music video was shot in one take and directed by Sam Bennett, while choreographed by Monika Felice Smith. "I Lost a Friend" was released on May 3, 2019, as the second single from ''Blood Harmony''. An accompanying music video was released on June 25, 2019, and was also directed by Bennett and shot in one take in Lanchester, California. The song received a remix by

Marian Hill Marian Hill is an American electronic duo from Philadelphia consisting of record producer Jeremy Lloyd and singer Samantha Gongol. The duo released their debut EP, ''Play'', in 2014, and released their second EP, ''Sway'', in 2015. The duo relea ...

, which was released on December 13, 2019. The EP's third single, "Shelter", was released on August 22, 2019. A music video for "Shelter" was directed by Bennett on September 30, 2019. It was also shot in one take. "I Don't Miss You at All" was released as the fourth and final single from ''Blood Harmony'' on September 30, 2019.

Live performances

Finneas promoted ''Blood Harmony'' with a series of public appearances and televised live performances. He toured throughout the United States during October 2019, in support of ''Blood Harmony''. That same month, Finneas performed a majority of ''Blood Harmony'' songs at the

Austin City Limits Music Festival The Austin City Limits (ACL) Music Festival is an annual music festival held in Zilker Park in Austin, Texas on two consecutive three-day weekends. Inspired by the KLRU/PBS music series of the same name, the festival is produced by Austin-base ...

. In December 2019, Finneas performed "I Lost a Friend" and "I Don't Miss You at All" on '' Jimmy Kimmel Live!''. On February 3, 2020, he performed "Let's Fall in Love for the Night" on ''

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon ''The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by Jimmy Fallon that airs on NBC. The show premiered on February 17, 2014, and is produced by Broadway Video and Universal Television. It is the seventh incar ...

'' and was joined by a live band.

Reception

Will Richards writing for ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'', said the songs on ''Blood Harmony'' are "exquisite" and have an update "with fresh, modern production tweaks". For '' Billboard'' magazine, Glenn Rowley praised the EP, saying "Finneas' work as a solo artist is decidedly brighter, his soulful voice tying each song together as his lyrics swings through the vast spectrum of human emotion". Nicole Almeida of ''

Atwood Magazine Atwood Magazine is a digital music magazine that focuses on emerging and established artists from around the world. The magazine was founded in 2012 and is currently run by editor-in-chief Mitch Mosk. History Atwood Magazine was founded in 20 ...

'' wrote that ''Blood Harmony'' is the "most transitional point of Finneas' career". She continued, saying the EP is a "songwriting and production triumph". ''Blood Harmony'' was a commercial underperformance, peaking at number 14 on the US ''Billboard'' Heatseekers Albums chart and number 47 on the Lithuanian Albums chart.

Track listing

Charts

References

{{Authority control 2019 debut EPs Albums produced by Finneas O'Connell EPs by American artists Finneas O'Connell albums Pop albums by American artists