Three years ago, singer-songwriter Ashe was ready to quit music. Her breakout hit “Moral of the Story” and gold-certified duet with FINNEAS, “Till Forever Falls Apart,” had thrust her into sudden fame — but after the release of her sophomore album “Rae”, the burnout caught up to her. She canceled her headlining tour, unsure if she’d ever return.
But artists rarely walk away from what they love completely. After therapy — and some time working with power tools — Ashe found herself wanting back in, but on her own terms. She told MTV, “I was thinking about ways that would make it the most fun for me again. And when Finneas and I have historically written together… [it was] particularly special.”
FINNEAS, Billie Eilish’s brother, producer and ten-time Grammy-winner, has been in Ashe’s corner since 2017. When she called him with an idea — “Let’s start a band, put out one album and kind of call it a day” — he immediately agreed, saying, “This solves all my problems.” They recruited Ricky Gourmet on guitar and David Marinelli on drums and began to play. In secret, without managers or label oversight, The Favors were born.
That secrecy gave the project freedom, and you can hear it in “The Dream.” The album feels authentic and raw, yet structured: Ashe had been sketching a play about a fictional band, and those scenes were what shaped the record’s storyline. The result isn’t a grab-bag of TikTok-ready singles but a cohesive arc, an intentional throwback to when albums told stories start to finish. And that’s where “The Dream” truly shines.
“The Little Mess You Made,” the lead single off of the album, sets the tone both for The Favors and the listener. It kicks off the story, with Finneas and Ashe’s characters facing off like rams butting heads in an apparent scandal that has torn the fictional band apart.
“Who gets all the blame? I guess it’s up to you,” Ashe sings over echoing piano chords, a strong bassline, and a live drum beat. These are the essential ingredients to the album, Finneas told Zane Lowe. “We made it quite quickly because it’s got an old-school flair… it was like drums, guitars, bass, keyboards… once you record that, and you’ve got the song, it’s kind of like you’ve finished it. You don’t want to mess it up.”
It leads into “The Hudson,” a tender piano moment with gut-wrenching lyrics. Sonically, it evokes Fleetwood Mac’s “Landslide,” one of the many ‘70s sonic references on the album. “I don’t know where I belong / All I’ve ever known is gone / I’ve got nothing but you to lose,” Ashe and Finneas sing together in harmony. It paints a picture of the two love-torn characters apart, yet singing the same thing while looking out over the same river. It’s a cinematic design, one that easily invokes images of movies or musical theater, which is rare in pop music.
Writing from characters’ perspectives freed the band from the limits of their own experiences. “At the end of the day, Ashe and I are storytellers,” Finneas told Flaunt. “I don’t want to blow up my life to write the kind of song that makes it sound like I’ve blown up my life, but I also don’t want to limit myself to writing about my nice, privileged life.”
The album contains its fair share of ballads, but one that truly stands out is “Lake George.” The song is one of four that reference New York City, with the others being “The Hudson,” “Times Square Jesus,” and “Home Sweet Home.” It opens with a beautifully timeless piano introduction, then builds into the record’s emotional climax.
With powerful, haunting vocals, Ashe and Finneas belt, “I’d be just about anyone else tonight… to stop loving you.” Guided by wistful strings, the characters come to terms with the feelings they struggle with throughout the course of the record. It closes solemnly with an audio recording of waves crashing against the shore, a signature Finneas touch.
The story concludes with one of the most upbeat songs on the record, “Home Sweet Home.” The disco-infused track contains funky guitar riffs and sweeping strings that immediately pick the listener up from the melancholy of the preceding songs. It brings the narrative to a head, and the characters have realized they can’t be kept apart. “I tried to warn ya / I’ve had a hard time letting you go,” the band sings. “It all comes back to you.”
“The Dream” is a record that feels uniquely serendipitous yet meticulously thought out. Its clear storyline sets it apart from many popular albums today and makes for an extremely rewarding listening experience.
While it may not have a clear, stand-out hit that’s going to be consumed by the masses, the album is so consistent throughout that it’s near impossible to pick a favorite. Each track has something unique to offer: “Necessary Evils” features a powerful and timeless electric guitar solo. You can hear Finneas smile in the delivery of “Ordinary People.” And the bridge in “The Dream” positively soars. It’s an album that doesn’t exclude the listener in any capacity. It brings them into the room through its honest songwriting, completely live instruments, and off-the-cuff voice recordings.
There’s real heart on this record, and in that lies its greatest strength. By the time the final notes of “Home Sweet Home” fade out, you don’t just feel like you’ve listened to an album, you feel like you’ve lived alongside a story. That’s a rare achievement, and it’s what makes “The Dream” worth returning to again and again.
