Finneas O’Connell known as the primary collaborator of his younger sister Billie Eilish, further teases his highly anticipated sophomore album For Cryin’ Out Loud! with his latest single “Cleats”.
A bright and infectious indie-pop tune, ‘Cleats’ continues to establish Finneas’ knack for storytelling as he sings about the awkward agony of unrequited adolescent love set to the backdrop of sentimentality and West Coast vibes. The minimalist songwriting and production of the track, driven by the sparse electronic elements and delicate chords creates an atmosphere that pulls one in the scenario at hand. While Finneas’ role as “bedroom producer” through his collaborations with his sister Billie, “Cleats” sees Finneas’ stepping out of that role to become a songwriter in his own right and on that note, “Cleats” achieves its goal.
Along with the track, the music video further establishes the scenario of the pangs of being young and in love. In the video, Finneas continues the story set forth on his last single “For Cryin’ Out Loud!”. In that video, Finneas falls down an elevator shaft, all while still being hopelessly infatuated with a girl. In “Cleats” his lovesick heart is now being kicked around the curb after the heartbreak. The video stats off as Finneas plays a fly on the wall where he oversees his teenage self-hanging out with a girl from the soccer team. The video plays out where the teenage Finneas works up the courage to ask the girl out. What follows after is a series of playful exchanges between the two with the present Finneas observing the events in the background. When the video reaches its end, two things are taken from the whole ordeal; The younger Finneas is left doubtful of his love life, while the older Finneas has grown wiser from the experience.
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