The phenomenal artist Billie Eilish has released her third album, HIT ME HARD AND SOFT, on May 17. The album is rumoured to be the first of two that the artist will release, following the ilomilo fan-theory.
Over the years, we have seen Billie’s music transform, evolve, and popularise. From Ocean Eyes to her latest album, Billie has kept her signature sound while managing to keep her style fresh and have fans clamouring for more.
HIT ME HARD AND SOFT encompasses the past, present, and future sounds of Billie. In this album, hints of her earlier work can be heard. There are also nods to a possible fourth album teasing the future of her music. Finneas, Billie’s older brother, continued working with her in this album as he produced it. The production is gold standard, something so flawless yet so honest – a truly impressive feat, but one not new for the pair. Finneas has been Billie’s producer since she started creating music, and by doing so he manages to craft her stories and songs into individual pieces of art that strike listeners to the core – the duo have hand carved Billie’s own special sound with emotion and soul.
The opening song, SKINNY, begins with chords reminiscent of her first album’s i love you. SKINNY is about appearance insecurities and the pressure to fit into an unforgiving mould that society dictates. The string section towards the end of SKINNY pairs nicely with Billie’s pillow-soft vocals and draws the song to a nice close. In classic Billie style, the last three seconds fade into the start of track two – LUNCH.
LUNCH has been rumoured to be a love song for a girl as Billie sings that she could “eat that girl for lunch”. It brings a punchy, funky baseline to the album as Billie’s vocals move between a gentle hum and a more passionate tone.
And the funkiness of her album doesn’t stop there. CHIHIRO brings an addictingly mellow jazz/funky beat. We hear ethereal vocals as Billie pitches to heavenly highs and emotional belts, all backed up with a strong baseline. CHIHIRO was one of the most anticipated songs of this album and it smashed each and every expectation. This is one you will be listening to for years to come. Honestly, the final 40 seconds of CHIHIRO are other-worldly – words cannot describe the feeling of listening to this.
So far, HIT ME HARD AND SOFT has given us Billie’s classic experimental style. BIRDS OF A FEATHER introduces us to a happier Billie, one that aligns more with the pop genre. She keeps her signature quirks and transforms the genre into something that suits her and her sound.
WILDFLOWER tells the story of Billie comforting a girl after a breakup, and the moral uncertainties she faced when she began to date the girl’s ex.
Following the theme of relationships, THE GREATEST shows Billie’s love and selflessness in a one-sided relationship – “All my love and patience, unappreciated”. We journey through Billie’s question of self-worth and value in this relationship. Starting with her giving up everything for her partner, moving to frustration as she questions “Man, am I the greatest?”, to a powerful and freeing end where she recognises that this relationship has not and will not meet her expectations, she realises “You could have been the greatest”.
L’AMOUR DE MA VIE was loved by some and disliked by others, going by fan reception online. It’s about a past lover that loved Billie more than she loved them, a sharp contrast from the previous song. The sound links in well with the album so far. In an exciting twist, the last two minutes of the song take on a synth-y, Charli XCX-like style.
Nearing the end of the album we have THE DINER. Billie revisits a topic that has appeared in previous works (NDA, Getting Older), the topic of obsession and stalking. THE DINER sounds like it could have possibly been influenced by some of Melanie Martinez’s work, with a villainous undertone. Billie even whispered out a phone number at the end of the song as an easter egg for fans to phone, feeding into the off-putting feel of THE DINER.
Penultimate song, BITTERSUITE, opens with a synth that will blow you away – one that feels strangely familiar yet unplaceable. We quickly drop back into a beat reminiscent of those used in WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO?. This then transforms around the 1.30 mark to a tone similar to her EP don’t smile at me. BITTERSUITE is split into sections as Billie sings about conflicting emotions regarding relationships. The end of this track had fans screaming with shock as it teased a fan-favourite unreleased song, True Blue.
Finally, we round off the album with BLUE. This is different to True Blue. The first part of the song dedicated to a remake of True Blue in Billie’s current style, and it includes nods to the tracks from this album so far (except THE DINER), much like goodbye. There’s no other way to describe it than simply beautiful. The second part of the song is a reworked version of another unreleased song, Born Blue, which focuses on growing up in a cold family and looking back on your childhood and how you turned out the way you did.
At the very end of BLUE, Billie teases fans further with the line “but when can I hear the next one”. This, as well as the ilomilo theory, is why fans are convinced that she is about to drop a double album.
Whether she does or doesn’t, we can enjoy HIT ME HARD AND SOFT for years to come. Her music is truly timeless, so unique and impactful. Billie has left her mark on the world at such a young age, which leaves promise for what is next. But let’s not focus solely on the future, let’s enjoy what we have right now. This album. And it is 100 per cent ethereal. Billie fan or not, HIT ME HARD AND SOFT is a musical journey worth your time.
Featured Image Credit: @billieeilish / X
Fourth year student journalist studying Bachelor of Arts with Honours in Journalism Studies.
Words at Brig, The Daily Evergreen, Alloa Advertiser, Discovery Music Scotland, and The Mourning Paper.
