Melbourne-based roots and Americana band FINN, piloted by brothers Mark and Luke Finn, releases their tenth long player, Control, a collection of 11 songs exploring various motifs.
The band explains, “The record is about learning to live with uncertainty. The songs explore friendships, loss, faith and the quiet resilience that keeps people moving forward even when the path isn’t clear. At its heart, it’s an album about connection and the belief that the people we hold onto can still give meaning to the journey.”
Control was recorded at Woodstock Studios in Melbourne. Terry Hart produced and engineered the album, while GRAMMY-winning engineer Gavin Lurssen mastered it at Lurssen Mastering in Burbank, California.
The record brings together a strong group of players: Mark Finn and Luke Finn on vocals and guitars, Terry Hart on multiple instruments, Jeremy Staples on bass, Daniel Angelini on drums, Mike Hart on backing vocals, Shane Reilly on mandolin, and Chris Commerford on guitars.
Control encompasses 11 tracks, beginning with the title track, a low-key folk-rock tune rippling with oozing keyboards, a plucking banjo, and a contagious rhythm. Rich, smooth vocals imbue the lyrics with tender tones.
“Last Love Song” rides a mid-tempo rhythm topped by gentle, gleaming guitars. A wavering, darker guitar adds an expressive texture to the tune. Easygoing vocals give the lyrics silky, whispery timbres, injecting a dramatic savor.
A personal favorite, “Oh Mary” travels on a thrumming melody atop crunching percussion. There’s a suppressed sensation running through the tune, as if profound emotions are awaiting the right moment to explode. The lyrics speak to fidelity and commitment: “I’ve been looking for you / And I won’t let you down.”
Steeped in hope, “Still Believer” reveals light, glittering guitars and a slow-burning organ. Warm, affectionate vocals give the lyrics a lingering pause, akin to a prayer asking for the resuscitation of a love that is waning.
Mark and Luke share. “It’s about relationships, but it’s also about the world outside the window — uncertain, restless, and hard to read — and the simple act of carrying on when the answers don’t come easy. Somewhere in the confusion, you keep walking, you keep holding on, and you still believe.”
For some reason, the closing track, “Stay With Me Tonight,” brings to mind Brook Benton’s “Rainy Night in Georgia,” a bit bluesy and dreamy, and dripping with quixotic suggestions.
Full of profound human emotions, on Control, FINN blends plush harmonies with lusciously supple Americana surfaces.
Discover more about FINN here.
Enjoy some of our previous coverage here: Song Premiere: FINN “River Running Through”