I'm Bringing the Favors

YOU'RE INVITED
A Celebration of The Dream
Hosted by Kick Kick Snare
September 19

Come on in.

Drinks are in the kitchen. The record's already spinning. I was hoping you'd make it.

The best albums earn a permanent place in your life almost without you noticing. Before long, you can't imagine the room without them. A song for a late-night drive becomes the soundtrack to making dinner. One lyric follows you into a Tuesday afternoon. Eventually, you stop remembering the first listen because you're busy living with the songs.

That's what The Dream became for me.

Last summer, FINNEAS and Ashe introduced us to The Favors and invited us into a world that unfolded the way great stories should. "The Little Mess You Made" opened the door. "The Hudson" asked us to stay awhile. "Times Square Jesus" made sure we wouldn't leave unchanged. By the time The Dream arrived that September, we'd finally been welcomed inside.

Time to set the table.

When FINNEAS said he hoped people would cook a meal, invite friends over and let The Dream play from beginning to end, I don't think he realized he'd accidentally describe exactly how this article would begin. Ashe said she wanted listeners to feel warm, fuzzy and heartbroken all at once. Mission accomplished.

Now that everyone's here...let's put the record on.

The smallest things rarely stay small.

One of my favorite qualities in songwriting is when an artist resists the urge to make heartbreak louder than it needs to be. "The Little Mess You Made" understands that the relationships which leave the deepest marks usually don't explode. They erode.

A little mess. A little rain. The littlest mistake. Until one day you look around and realize the room has filled with everything neither of you ever cleaned up. That's why the line, "The little mess you made... is all over the news," hits like it does. It's funny. It's tragic. And it hurts more than it has any right to.

It trusts those tiny images to accumulate until suddenly they weigh a thousand pounds. That's confidence in the writing, and it pays off every single time.

Let's meet back here a year from now.

The first time I heard...

“Let's meet back here a year from now...”

...I never imagined it would accidentally become the premise of this article. And yet, here we are. Exactly where the song asked us to be.

Beyond that moment, "The Hudson" might be my favorite conversation on the entire record. FINNEAS once described The Favors as writing from the perspective of two people sharing the same experience instead of trading verses, and nowhere is that more evident than here. They sound like two people remembering the same night from opposite sides of the table.

Not every confession is looking for forgiveness.

By the time "Times Square Jesus" arrived, The Dream had made itself comfortable with uncomfortable honesty.

Everybody knows that you're my weakness." "You're an open secret I'm afraid."

FINNEAS explained that the song grew out of those surreal moments walking through Times Square or Hollywood where you're unexpectedly confronted by religion, guilt, desire or whatever unfinished conversation you've been avoiding with yourself. Whether you believe or not almost becomes irrelevant. The question lingers anyway, with enough space left around it to find your own answer.

Before everyone heads home...

It's nice seeing where life has taken everyone since we first met.

Ashe, congratulations on the Atlantic Records signing. Seriously... good for you. Have the best time out with Benson Boone. We'll be over here cheering from the sidelines, and selfishly looking forward to whatever song sends us another invitation.

FINNEAS... congratulations on the engagement. I'm excited to see everything you dream up next. And thanks for never being afraid to say the quiet parts out loud. Your Instagram Stories are required reading around here. FINNEAS for President?

Mostly, though...

Thanks for leaving the door open.

Now grab a slice of whatever's left in the kitchen before you go.

Drive safe.

Text me when you get home.