THE FAVORS, THE DREAM

On their debut album The Dream, The Favors, the new project from Finneas and Ashe, build a sound steeped in Laurel Canyon’s golden era, shaped by the closeness and chemistry of two friends at ease with each other in the studio. Across the record, from the glolden haze of “The Hudson” to the ‘50s sway of “Ordinary People” and the string-laced melancholy of “Times Square Jesus,” the pair followed self-imposed rules to keep things stripped back and cohesive. 

Finneas explains that the goal was “not overcrowding it,” choosing simplicity over layers to let the melodies breathe. They looked to Simon and Garfunkel as early touchstones, and also to 1990s bands like Oasis and Radiohead, artists whose songs still carry what Finneas calls a “tug” that comes from great lyrics and melodies. What emerges is an album that plays like a story, moving from the wide-eyed arrival in Los Angeles to a bittersweet return in New York, but more than narrative, The Dream captures the joy of two artists making music together.