Out of all of the Indie Pop superstars that have emerged over the last several years(Clairo, beabadoobee, and Haim immediately come to mind), Billie Eilish is the one that I have probably gravitated toward the least. This is a bit of a surprise considering how much I enjoy this style of music and considering how popular she is. I am obviously in the minority on this one considering Billie Eilish is significantly bigger than any of those artists listed above, which is saying a lot. I am definitely willing to be swayed, though, and I want to learn for myself why Billie Eilish is beloved by so many. Billie Eilish first popped off back in 2015, when her debut single ‘Ocean Eyes’ went viral. Her debut EP, 2017’s Don’t Smile at Me, cemented her as one to watch in Indie Pop, as it was critically praised and reached the top 15 on music charts all around the world. Billie’s debut album, 2019’s When We Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?(which was released when she was only 17, astoundingly), was a massive critical and commercial success. This is considered by many music critics and fans as one of the best albums of 2019(and even as one of the best albums of the 2010s). This album was not only one of the top-selling albums of the year, but it also garnered Billie multiple accolades including a few Grammys. Billie followed this record up with her 2022 album, Happier Than Ever. This record was even more beloved than her debut by fans and critics alike; it was once again considered a top album from the year it was released, as Billie was praised for her musical and lyrical range. Billie recently released her third album, titled HIT ME HARD AND SOFT. This album is once again being lauded, so I am excited to see for myself what all of the hype is about. With that being said, here is how I feel about Billie Eilish’s HIT ME HARD AND SOFT. Please let me know in the comments below what your favorite songs are from HIT ME HARD AND SOFT, and also comment on how you feel about the album as a whole.
Billie Eilish gets HIT ME HARD AND SOFT going in a very delicate manner with the song ‘SKINNY.’ This is an acoustic Folk song with a very ethereal sound and feeling. To be honest, the first thing I thought of when I first heard this one was Lana Del Rey. This song is very reminiscent of some of the music she was making early in her career. The instrumentation on this song is very soft and warm but also has a bit of a melancholy tone(this melancholy feeling also might be added on to by Billie’s vocals). I enjoy the instrumentation of this song. The guitar riff that drives the melody is inviting, and the string instruments and synths that complement it are ethereal. Billie’s vocals on this track are beautiful and a bit somber. There is something about her vocals in ‘SKINNY’ which makes me think there could be darker things to come. On ‘SKINNY,’ Billie Eilish sings about her struggles with body shaming, fame, and wanting to stay relevant. Towards the end of ‘SKINNY,’ a groovy Pop beat comes in sort of feels out of place compared to the rest of the track. This beat continues on the next song, ‘LUNCH,’ making this transition seamless. The bassline that drives the melody for ‘LUNCH’ has a sound that is just as Groovy as the beat. This bassline is complemented by an equally Funky guitar riff that has a bit of a Goth Rock tint to the way it is mixed. ‘LUNCH’ is a super cool track that is complex and simple at the same time. It has a sound that makes me think of multiple artists; I can hear elements of artists like Gorillaz, Daft Punk, and even The Cure on this track. I really enjoy the deep synths that come in towards the end of the track, as it gives the song a level of emphasis that makes the outro hit hard. Billie’s vocals on this track are very soft and light, which provide a nice contrast with the instrumental and make this song all the more engaging and cool. On ‘LUNCH,’ Billie sings about a sexual experience with her new partner, comparing their time together to a delicious meal. ‘CHIHIRO’ is a track that leans into a trend that is very popular among Indie Pop music(which is a trend Billie has excelled at in the past). This is a lo-fi Synth Pop track with a very soothing and groovy sound. I really enjoy the bassline that drives this melody, as it is so funky and fresh. The synths that complement this melody are bright and shimmery, giving the song an ethereal feel. As the song progresses, the synths that surround this bassline get more intense and bold at times. These moments where the synths increase in intensity give the song so much life. This song is riddled with weird sound effects that make the song sound futuristic and add to its ethereal feeling. The beat for ‘CHIHIRO’ is calm and punchy, and somehow makes me want to relax and dance at the same time. Although Billie’s vocals on this track are very soft, they are still so impactful. The range Billie sings within ‘CHIHIRO’ gives the song a level of emotion that is so palpable. ‘CHIHIRO’ is a reference to the iconic animated film Spirited Away(one of my favorite movies ever), which follows a little girl going through life and learning to deal with her fears. Billie likens herself to Chihiro, as she is trying to figure out the meaning of life herself. ‘BIRDS OF A FEATHER’ keeps the summery Synth-Pop sound that the last track had. Like ‘CHIHIRO,’ this song is very pleasant and easygoing. There is a bit of an R&B tint to this one that makes me think of the 1990s. This melody makes me think of Mariah Carey a little bit. The lovely melody for ‘BIRDS OF A FEATHER’ is provided by a guitar riff and a keyboard riff that is complemented by sparkling synths. This melody is so warm and pleasant. It makes me think of sitting and watching a sunset at a beach with a significant other, which is such a great feeling. The beat for ‘BIRDS OF A FEATHER’ is pretty low-key, but just punchy enough to make me bop my head and move to the rhythm when it comes on. Billie Eilish’s vocals in ‘BIRDS OF A FEATHER’ are just as cozy as the instrumental; her vocals truly help this track feel all-encompassing. On ‘BIRDS OF A FEATHER,’ Billie Eilish is singing about falling in love and wanting to be with this person forever, even through death.
Billie Eilish calms things down on the track ‘WILDFLOWER.’ This is the most simple and low-key track since the opener. ‘WILDFLOWER’ is a Folk-Pop track that is driven by a somber guitar melody that is complemented by light synths that come in and out and some backing vocals. This melody is put on top of a slow beat and slightly increases in emphasis as the song progresses. Even though this instrumental is stripped back, it is very impactful. This is mainly due to the way Billie’s vocals sit on this instrumental. I love how delicate and emotional Billie’s vocals are on this track, as they make the song hit so hard(which is interesting considering its sound is so light). On ‘WILDFLOWER,’ Billie Eilish is singing about falling in love with the person who broke her friend’s heart. She feels guilty for being into this person who hurt her friend but can not help how she feels. ‘THE GREATEST’ is a song with a sound that is very similar to the one that precedes it. These songs almost flow together seamlessly because of how similar they are. ‘THE GREATEST’ has a melody that is a bit more intricate and melancholy, which makes it hit a bit harder for me. Towards the end of ‘THE GREATEST,’ the instrumentation becomes very full, with a full Rock band coming in to give the song an epic climax. Because of this, ‘THE GREATEST’ sticks with me a bit more, as this increase of sound and power at the end of the track really makes it pop. It would be cool to hear ‘WILDFLOWER’ and ‘THE GREATEST’ played live in succession, as I bet it would sound super epic. Billie delivers one of her most poignant vocal performances on ‘THE GREATEST.’ She particularly shows her singing prowess at the end of the track when the instrumentation picks up. On ‘THE GREATEST,’ Billie Eilish sings about being extremely devoted to and enamored with her partner, but not feeling the same kind of love back.
‘L’AMOUR DE MA VIE’ brings back the brighter and sweeter elements we got earlier in the record. This song honestly sounds like a 1950s Pop-Rock or Soul Track to me. This song makes me think of artists like Billie Holiday, Ritchie Valens, or The Righteous Brothers. The melody for this track, which is provided by a delightful piano riff that is complemented by string instruments and synths, is so mellow and pleasant. The beat for ‘L’AMOUR DE MA VIE’ is very dim and easy-going and fits the melody super well. ‘L’AMOUR DE MA VIE’ has one of the best vocal performances of the record, which is saying a lot. Billie’s vocals on this track are strong and dynamic and make this song so memorable. Towards the end of ‘L’AMOUR DE MA VIE,’ the beat picks up and the instrumentation becomes heavily synthesized. The outro of this track sounds like a quirky 1980s-influenced New Wave track with a futuristic and industrial twist. The vocals during this section of the song are heavily autotuned, going nicely with the ultramodern feeling of this section of the instrumental. On ‘L’AMOUR DE MA VIE,’ Billie Eilish sings about a bad breakup where she still wishes the best for her former partner even if things did not end amicably at all. ‘THE DINER’ is a strange little Pop track that is way different from anything else on the record to this point. Frankly, this song feels like the one that is supposed to be the single from this record. It has a lot more frantic energy than anything else on the record and is the only one that feels like it could be properly played in a bar or club. ‘THE DINER’ feels like a futuristic version of the Pop music that was big in the early 2000s. I can hear elements of Britney Spears or Christina Aguilera on this one, albeit with an almost dystopian twist. I really enjoy the deep and dark bassline that drives this melody, as it makes the song so gritty and interesting. Billie’s vocal performance on this track makes it such an earworm. ‘THE DINER’ is the kind of song that will get stuck in anyone’s head when they hear it, and it is so sing-a-long-able On ‘THE DINER,’ Billie Eilish is singing from the perspective of a stalker she experienced, trying to show the listener how weird she felt when this person invaded her privacy in the manner they did. ‘BITTERSUITE’ is easily one of the coolest songs on this record sonically. This one really stands out to me due to how wild and innovative its sound is. The first minute or so of the song is so extreme and overpowering, with extreme, highly saturated synths making the song feel larger than life. After this introduction section, the instrumental becomes very soft and delicate for a while, bringing the mood and intensity from the introduction back down to earth. The outro of the track has the same kind of intensity as the introduction closes out the track on a fierce note. It is honestly tough to describe the sound of ‘BITTERSUITE’ because it is all over the place. This track provides a crescendo of emotions that is so impactful and interesting. Billie’s vocals on ‘BITTERSUITE’ are not her most memorable on the record, but that is okay because of how cool the instrumental is. On ‘BITTERSUITE,’ Billie Eilish sings about not wanting to dive into a new relationship, having conflicting emotions about her new partner, and not knowing what to do about how she feels. Billie saved the most potent and beguiling track for last with ‘BLUE.’ Similar to ‘BITTERSUITE,’ this song is a crescendo of sound that will keep the listener on their toes. Throughout the track, the instrumental is constantly changing. The track goes from easy-going Synth-Pop to intense, ambient Electronic music, to Emo-Pop-Trap to close things out. This song truly has something for fans of so many styles of Pop. It is crazy and cool to hear a song with these conflicting styles of music work out so seamlessly and sound so natural. Listening to ‘BLUE’ is like an emotional journey because of how convoluted and all over the place it is. ‘BLUE’ contains what is probably Billie’s best vocal performance of the record. Her vocals capture the psychological feeling of this track so well and really help it hit so hard. In the first half of ‘BLUE,’ Billie Eilish is singing about not being able to help a partner or friend in the way she wants to and feeling bad about it. In the second half of ‘BLUE,’ she sings about feeling like an outcast and trying to find her purpose in life. This is an excellent closing track to the record that brings it to an epic finish.
As I stated in the introduction, I had never gone into Billie Eilish’s music enough in the past enough to completely understand the hype around her. I am happy to say after listening to HIT ME HARD AND SOFT, I totally get the hype. In short, this is a really great album. Everything about it works. I love the multitude of sounds that Billie explores on this record. There is something for many kinds of music listeners that really makes the album stick. Billie’s vocal and lyrical performances on HIT ME HARD AND SOFT are excellent; she opens up in engaging ways on this record, and her vocals match the emotion of the lyrics. Billie Eilish definitely won me over with HIT ME HARD AND SOFT. I have now become a fan, and I am pumped to hear the supposed sequel record that is rumored to be coming soon.
EAST SIDE VIBES 