Optimist (album)

1. "A Concert Six Months From Now" Haves an acoustic band being played over a cheering crowd, referring to the revival of live music in recent months, before a sudden beat change changes the tempo to become more rock-like.[3] In the lyrics "I'll wait for years but i won't wait alone/ And then someday you'll wait for my face on your phone,"[4] he fantasizes as he sings of a lost love he's desperate to find again at the Hollywood Bowl, with a bittersweet feeling emanating from his voice. Despite the anxiety and hunger, he's still an optimist.
2. " The Kids Are All Dying" Discusses a wide range of heavy, controversial topics like capitalism, climate change, gun violence, outrage over the internet, and political polarization. The lyrics say lines like "Whatever's on the news, the other side'll call it fake, I wish I was the Queen, I'd tell 'em all to eat their cake, Maybe humankind was just God's mistake"[5] After listening to this song it makes you really think about the worlds issues that are occurring.
3. "Happy Now". Happy now is about how Finneas originally believed that happiness would come with fame but now that he is a star discovers that this isn't the case. He talks how he was a anxious child and how he was feeling with all this fame "Always such an anxious child / Never wild, always worrying / Never any good with surprises, compromises / I wanted everything."[6]
4. "Only a lifetime" The song "Only a Lifetime" establishes the mood for an emotionally charged track with it's reverbed piano chords and strong vocals. Finneas writes the chorus with the words, "Don't waste the time you have / Waiting for time to pass / It's only a lifetime, that's not long enough / You're not going to like it without any love, so don't waste it."[7] Don't waste your time doing things that make you sad is the chorus that is hidden in the song's production, which also has piano chords. This song makes you think about who you are and what you love.
5. "The 90s" focuses entirely on how social media and the internet have altered everyone's lives. In this song, Finneas looks back on the past, lamenting that "When the future was a testament / To something beautiful and shiny, now / We're only counting down the time that's left." [8] This song's first section is composed primarily of melodies, showcasing Finneas' stunning voice and capacity to hold the attention of listeners. When the song resumes, you can hear auto-tune in his voice, which adds a slick touch and serves as a callback to the period in 1997 when auto-tune first became widely employed.[9]
6. "Love is Pain" Finneas sings on his personal experiences in "Love Is Pain," contrasting the benefits and drawbacks of loving someone. The single is absolutely worth listening to because the vocals, production, and words blended so beautifully. Over the chorus, Finneas sings, "We go through life, we play pretend / Act like it doesn't have to end / It's all right until your friend runs a red light / You watch his car catch fire / Love is pain." Finneas makes a comparison between self-harm and the drawbacks of love, possibly in reference to the death of a loved one.
7. "Peaches Etude" is a lovely piano piece dedicated to Finneas' dog Peaches. It's a nice break in the middle of the album to unwind and just listen to the endless instrumental. The 2:16 minute song is a tribute to the dog. An etude is a short musical composition, usually for one instrument, designed as an exercise to improve the technique or demonstrate the skill of the player.
8. "Hurt Locker" reveals the hurt and unpleasant truths that Finneas has had to deal with in previous relationships. Hurt locker is slang for "a place of deep pain and discomfort." Halfway through the song, the beat is introduced, giving the song a lot more punch and depth. It has a genuinely unique sound, demonstrating once more how effective Finneas is in any style he pursues.
9. "Medieval" The song reinforces Finneas' belief that civilization is regressing by using metaphors to contrast modern culture with that of the Middle Ages. This is demonstrated in the chorus when Finneas sings, "It feels a little medieval if you ask me / Like I'm watchin' a sequel I've already seen / I could tell you what happens to the new king / When he goes out of fashion."[10]
10. "Someone Else’s Star" Finneas seems to be a letter to his sister, fellow musician Billie Eilish, on the subject of rapidly escalating stardom. You were someone else's star; you gained popularity that was transitory; now all of your memories seem more like movies; you watch them to see which ones are still deadly; and you wonder why the bad ones paid the bills. The song's opening lyric is sung by Finneas. The song's melancholy undertones and Finneas' incredible vocals are captured by the production, which is more ballad-style.
11. "Around My Neck" cranks up the tempo in the record and has a strong baseline and snare to start. The production of the album effectively connects Finneas' intention for the track in with his singing despite the album's explicit sexual content in the lyrics.
12. "What They’ll Say About Us" Although it sounds slow and even mournful, the lyrics are heartfelt and compassionate. “We’ve got the time to take the world / And make it better than it ever was.” The rise to the chords in this song, which is the No. 12 tune, actually carries the listener along with Finneas rather than having the music pull them along. In this song, Finneas displays his range in addition to other musical prowess.
13. "How It Ends" He advises listeners to quit care so much about money, power, or fame and just to enjoy life in the moment, instead. "If you wanna dance again / You can dance again / Use a lifeline / Honey phone a friend." [11]

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	72/100[12]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[13]
Dork	[14]
Gigwise	[15]
The Guardian	[16]
The Independent	[17]
The Line of Best Fit	8/10[18]
NME	[19]
Pitchfork	5.6/10[20]
Rolling Stone	[21]
The Sydney Morning Herald	[22]

On review aggregator Metacritic, Optimist received a score of 72 out of 100 based on ten critics' reviews, indicating "generally favorable" reception.[12]