TN:165 The Favors (FINNEAS & Ashe)
Tape Notes
Choosing a Sound Palette and Live Recording Approach
John asks about recording live and the duo describe using a limited instrument palette and in-person live takes for warmth and cohesion.
John is joined by The Favors, a duo composed of producer/singer-songwriter FINNEAS and singer-songwriter Ashe, to discuss how they wrote and recorded the album ‘The Dream’.
FINNEAS is a Grammy Award-winning producer best known for his longtime collaboration with his younger sister, Billie Eilish. As her primary producer, songwriter and touring partner, FINNEAS has played a key role in shaping her sound, earning 10 Grammy Awards along the way. Beyond his work with Eilish, Finneas has established himself as a rising alt-pop artist. Ashe began her career singing demos in Nashville before gaining widespread recognition with her viral single ‘Moral of the Story’. Since then, she has released several acclaimed EPs and three studio albums. Having previously collaborated on a number of projects, FINNEAS and Ashe decided to form The Favors. They released the album ‘The Dream’ on 19th September 2025.
In this episode, FINNEAS and Ashe sit down with John to discuss their techniques for producing vocals, the essential plug-ins they used to create the album’s sound, how ‘The Phantom of the Opera’ influenced their lyric-writing, why devoting time to drum production really matters and some simple yet very effective production tips!
Tracks discussed: The Little Mess You Made, David’s Brother, Moonshine
TAPE IT
Thanks to our friends at Tape It for supporting the podcast.
Visit tape.it/tapenotes or use the promo code TAPENOTES in the app to get 20% off.
LANDR
Get 20% off LANDR Distribution and Studio at landr.com/tapenotes
MUSIVERSAL
Skip the waitlist and get your discount HERE
LISTEN to ‘The Dream’ here - The Dream by The Favors, FINNEAS, Ashe
LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES
Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective - https://lynkify.in/song/sunshine-buddy/YT47TLFI
GEAR MENTIONS
Spectrasonics Keyscape Rhodes Piano Bass
OUR GEAR
https://linktr.ee/tapenotes_ourgear
HELP SUPPORT THE SHOW
If you'd like to help support the show you can join us on Patreon, where among many things you can access full length videos of most new episodes, ad-free episodes and detailed gear list breakdowns.
KEEP UP TO DATE
For behind the scenes photos and the latest updates, make sure to follow us on:
Instagram: @tapenotes
YouTube: Tape Notes Podcast
Patreon: Tape Notes
Twitter: @tapenotes
Facebook: @tapenotespodcast
Discord: Tape Notes
To let us know the artists you’d like to hear, Tweet us, slide into our DMs, send us an email or even a letter. We’d love to hear!
Visit our website to join our mailing list: www.tapenotes.co.uk
The AI-powered Podcast Player
