''Fin'' is the debut studio album by American R&B singer Syd. It was released on February 3, 2017, by Columbia Records.

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. Jungian psychology uses the synonymous term psychic death, referring to a fundamental transformation of the psych ...

'', 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, pub ...

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, and that the album is inspired by popular artists from her time, including Usher and Brandy. Influences of

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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 2002 to 2004. ''All About Me'' was created by Steven Knight, who also wrote two of the e ...

" was released as ''Fin''s

lead single A lead single (also known as a debut 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. Release s ...

on January 11, 2017. A music video for the song was released a day earlier on Syd's

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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 Columbia Records on February 3, 2017, to widespread critical acclaim. At

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, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an

average In ordinary language, an average is a single number taken as representative of a list of numbers, usually the sum of the numbers divided by how many numbers are in the list (the arithmetic mean). For example, the average of the numbers 2, 3, 4, 7 ...

score of 81, based on 10 reviews. Reviewing ''Fin'' for

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, Lars Gotrich wrote that Syd "has an affinity for the '90s R&B singers who kept their emotions open and voices close, like Aaliyah (see 'Know') or the ladies in

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('Smile More', 'Nothin' To Somethin'') — embracing the limitations of their range, but finding the core of the performance via self-styled confidence". In ''

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'', Robert Christgau 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

Charts

References

{{Authority control 2017 debut albums Columbia Records albums Syd albums Albums produced by Steve Lacy Albums produced by Syd tha Kyd Albums produced by Hit-Boy