''Fin'' is the debut solo
studio album
An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...
by American
R&B singer
Syd. It was released on February 3, 2017, by
.
Background
After ''
Ego Death
Ego death is a "complete loss of subjective self-identity". The term is used in various intertwined contexts, with related meanings. The 19th-century philosopher and psychologist William James uses the synonymous term "self-surrender", and Jung ...
'', the members of
the Internet
The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a network of networks that consists of private, publ ...
decided that they would venture on solo projects to flesh out their individual styles. When speaking about what the album would entail, Syd stated:
"This album is not that deep, but I feel like this is my descent into the depth I want the band to get to... For me, this is like an in-between thing — maybe get a song on the radio, maybe make some money, have some new shit to perform."
The album has a more pop-influenced feel in comparison to her output with the Internet. However, Syd states that she has always been influenced by
pop
Pop or POP may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Pop music, a musical genre
Artists
* POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade
* Pop! (British group), a UK pop group
* Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band
Album ...
, and that the album is inspired by popular artists from her time, including
Usher and
Brandy
Brandy is a liquor produced by distilling wine. Brandy generally contains 35–60% alcohol by volume (70–120 US proof) and is typically consumed as an after-dinner digestif. Some brandies are aged in wooden casks. Others are coloured ...
.
Influences of
trap also appear throughout, most notably on the single "All About Me".
"
All About Me
''All About Me'' is a British television sitcom starring Jasper Carrott about a multicultural family living in Birmingham. It was broadcast on BBC One from 8 March 2002 to 29 October 2004. ''All About Me'' was created by Steven Knight, who also ...
" was released as ''Fin''s
lead single
A lead single (or first 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.
A similar term, "debut ...
on January 11, 2017. A music video for the song was released a day earlier on Syd's
Vevo
Vevo LLC ( , an abbreviation for "Video Evolution", stylized in all caps until 2013) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational video hosting service, best known for providing music videos to YouTube. The service is also available ...
page. On January 24, "Body" was released as the album's second single. The song's audio was also released on the singer's Vevo page.
Release and reception
''Fin'' was released by
on February 3, 2017, to widespread critical acclaim. At
Metacritic
Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...
, which assigns a
normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an
average
In colloquial, ordinary language, an average is a single number or value that best represents a set of data. The type of average taken as most typically representative of a list of numbers is the arithmetic mean the sum of the numbers divided by ...
score of 81, based on 10 reviews.
Reviewing ''Fin'' for
NPR
National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...
, Lars Gotrich wrote that Syd "has an affinity for the '90s R&B singers who kept their emotions open and voices close, like
Aaliyah
Aaliyah Dana Haughton ( ; January 16, 1979 – August 25, 2001) was an American singer, actress, dancer, and model. Known as the " Princess of R&B" and "Queen of Urban Pop", she is credited with helping to redefine contemporary R&B, p ...
(see 'Know') or the ladies in
TLC
TLC may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Television
* ''TLC'' (TV series), a 2002 British situational comedy television series that aired on BBC2
* TLC (TV network), formerly the Learning Channel, an American cable TV network
** TLC (Asia), an A ...
('Smile More', 'Nothin' To Somethin
'') — embracing the limitations of their range, but finding the core of the performance via self-styled confidence".
In ''
Vice
A vice is a practice, behaviour, Habit (psychology), habit or item generally considered morally wrong in the associated society. In more minor usage, vice can refer to a fault, a negative character trait, a defect, an infirmity, or a bad or unhe ...
'',
Robert Christgau
Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and later became a ...
found the singer distinct from contemporary R&B's "voice-plus-sound" aesthetic, particularly because of her "soft and slender" voice, "her brave sighs and whispers", and "how easily her voice carries this music unaugmented by her former guitar and drum kit". He appreciated her themes of financial success and especially love, while naming "Dollar Bills" the album's highlight.
Accolades
Track listing
Personnel
Musicians
*
Syd – vocals
* Michael Davidson – additional keyboards (track 2)
* Rose Marie Tan – background vocals (tracks 2, 9)
* Nick Green – background vocals (tracks 2, 12)
* Lamont Savor – guitar (track 6)
*
Steve Lacy
Steve Thomas Lacy-Moya (born May 23, 1998) is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist and record producer. He gained recognition as the guitarist of the alternative R&B band the Internet, which he joined in 2015. His self-produced debut EP, '' ...
– guitar (track 10)
*
Rahki
Columbus Smith III, better known by his stage name Rahki (sometimes Rahki Beats), is a Grammy Award-winning American record producer and songwriter from Minneapolis, Minnesota. He is known for his work with mentor DJ Khalil and acts such as Emi ...
– bass, drum
programming (track 12)
*
Brent Faiyaz
Christopher Brent Wood (born September 19, 1995), known professionally as Brent Faiyaz, is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, and record producer. Faiyaz rose to prominence following his guest performance alongside Shy Glizzy on GoldLink's ...
– background vocals (track 12)
* Keith Askey – guitar (track 12)
*
Robert Glasper
Robert Andre Glasper (born April 5, 1978) is an American pianist, record producer, songwriter, and Arrangement, musical arranger. His music embodies numerous musical genres, primarily centered around jazz. Glasper has won five Grammy Awards from ...
– piano (track 12)
Technical
*
Colin Leonard –
mastering
* Fabian Marasciullo –
mixing
* Syd – recording (tracks 1–6, 9–11)
* Todd Cooper – recording (track 7)
*
Anthony Kilhoffer – recording (track 8)
* Stuart Schenck – recording (track 12)
* McCoy Socalgargoyle – recording assistance
Visuals
* Justin Brown – photography
Charts
References
{{Authority control
2017 debut albums
Columbia Records albums
Syd albums
Albums produced by Steve Lacy
Albums produced by Syd (singer)
Albums produced by Hit-Boy