If you are wondering what a late summer evening would sound like, FINNEAS captured that feeling in a song for you. With the release of ‘Cleats’ on September 13th, the singer-songwriter is giving us another sneak peek into the album For Cryin’ Out Loud.
‘Cleats’ seems to be about an unanswered high school love. The protagonist is head over heels for a girl. Yet, bad things always come in threes, and the girl doesn’t seem to be into guys. Therefore the story, funnily enough, is the complete opposite of Billie Eilish’s song ‘Wish You Were Gay’ that they also wrote together. Even though the love interest isn’t into boys, it is all the same to FINNEAS as it is his silver lining growing up.
Just like ‘For Cryin’ Out Loud’, ‘Cleats’ has a very laid-back kind of sound. The melody and instruments feel perfectly carefree, just as lyrics like “But it’s all the same to you” and “If it’s all a silver lining.” Combined with a nice riff, ‘Cleats’ gets stuck in your head easily and places you in a comfortable bubble.
The most striking part, however, is the lyrics in the outro of the song. Throughout the song, the love interest seems to be around FINNEAS’ age. He watches her from the bleachers, and she goes to his place after practice. But in the outro, he sings “Old crush on a new teacher.” This lyric could either mean he is feeling nostalgic about another love where he didn’t stand a chance or it could be leading up to another song. With the soothing vibe of the song and the mystery in its outro, FINNEAS leaves us longing for what is more to come.
Written by: Kelly Zwiers
Edited by: Ilse Muis
