After teasing three new songs at Coachella, Billie Eilish has released her third studio album, “Hit Me Hard and Soft.” As with all of Billie’s music, the album was co-written by Eilish and her brother FINNEAS. Despite the snippets that spread around social media, the album came as a bit of a surprise, as did the announcement of its accompanying world tour this coming fall. Every song on the album got a music video of Billie singing on an empty, shadowy stage, except for “LUNCH” which got an official music video.
Eilish’s sexuality has been discussed in the media for years, with the way she dresses and who she is or isn’t dating being the main topics. She even faced allegations of queerbaiting, when her 2021 music video for the song “Lost Cause” depicted her at a slumber party with a bunch of girls. Eilish spoke about the discourse at the time, stating that her sexuality was no one’s business but her own. This statement is absolutely true, as celebrities in the public eye are still people who deserve privacy and time to figure themselves out. The hit song “LUNCH” from Eilish’s new album, along with various interviews she’s done over the past few months, has put the discussion of her sexuality to rest. The song includes very sexual and overtly sapphic themes and metaphors, with an inescapable earworm of a chorus. There is no discussion on whether or not this song is about a girl, as Eilish uses exclusively she/her pronouns throughout its entirety. The song itself is probably my favorite on the album because of its fun baseline and danceable melody. The mixing on this song is really unique, with various aspects fading in and out and lots of depth in the production. Similarly to many of the songs off her 2019 album, “WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO?” the beat of this song is one of the most prominent components. The small details of the song are what make it such a banger. One of my favorite examples of this is when Eilish sings “She’s the headlights, I’m the deer,” and then you hear a car screeching sound.
The seamless transition from the first song, “SKINNY” into “LUNCH” is beautiful, although it is a complete switch in topic and feel between the two. I have found that most Billie Eilish songs fall into two archetypes. The first is songs with punchy beats and poppy baselines and melodies. These songs usually have lighter or more fun topics, and are the majority of Eilish’s ‘hits,’ such as “LUNCH,” “bad guy,” “Therefore I Am” and “bellyache.” The second type is songs with softer melodies, beautiful vocals and depict more painful or difficult topics. I would consider songs like “SKINNY,” “CHIHIRO,” “when the party’s over” and “ocean eyes” in this category. In these songs, Eilish’s beautiful voice acts as the main instrument.
The song “BIRDS OF A FEATHER” is one of my favorites on the album, as it describes a love between two people that is neverending. The song isn’t inherently romantic, so a new trend has spread across TikTok where people compile videos of them and their best friends with the line “Birds of a feather, we should stick together” playing over. The song also has a really catchy and dynamic beat, which, combined with the cute sentiment of the lyrics, makes it a great song.
There are a lot of things that I find very interesting about this album. Eilish is no stranger to out-of-the-box song titles. Songs such as “!!!!!!!,” “idontwannabeyouanymore” and “&burn” are perfect examples of this. Another example is “ilomilo,” which Eilish said in an interview was named after a video game about two friends completing puzzles in order to reunite. Because of this unique naming, I was curious what the title of the new song “CHIHIRO” meant. From what I can tell, the song is named after Chihiro Ogino, the main character of the Studio Ghibli movie “Spirited Away.” Eilish had said in a 2019 interview that she loved the work of Hayao Miyazaki (the director of Studio Ghibli) and how she had felt a lot of inspiration from his filmography. If you look at the lyrics within the context of the movie, this assumption about the song title makes sense.
Overall, I love the feel of this album. Although it’s different from Eilish’s past work, the instrumentation and production make it some of her best. It’s clear that her music has changed and matured as she has gotten older, as she released her first album when she was 18. I started listening to Billie Eilish in 2017, and it is really cool to see how she’s come from then to now. I didn’t know what to expect going into listening to this album, but I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. Regardless of whether or not you liked Billie’s previous work, I would recommend giving “Hit Me Hard and Soft” a listen.
“Hit Me Hard and Soft:” ★★★★★
