Billie Eilish is a household name, but to be honest, I haven't really been keeping up. Since the release of When We Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? I kind of tuned out. I wasn't all too much a fan of the mild change up in style from the grungier darker aesthetic, and decided, probably for the worst, that it wasn't really my ballpark. Pretentious, I know, but I'm doing my best to push myself out of those boxes I decided to put myself in. And I find myself here, geared up to listen to this new record I don't know a lot about, but am actually pretty excited for. My friends have been seriously bigging it up, so who am I to not give it a little go. Let's get into it then, here's my track by track breakdown and review of Hit Me Hard and Soft:
(Low Rez Image of Billie Eilish's new record HIT ME HARD AND SOFT - 2024)
1. SKINNY - 3:39
The picked guitar riff feels like something straight out of a midwest emo record. I like her vocals, they're breathy and emotional. The lyrics are smooth and emotional, this really feels like an emotional ballad, and it's built in a way that really lets the lyrics breathe. The rise and fall is also nailed in this one, with the synths slowly building in the background and then stripping themselves away. Adding the gentle drums in the background give it a little edge that keeps it moving along at a really solid pace. Eilish has such a beautiful cadence in her voice, adding embellishments to her vocals with what sounds like immense ease. This is sparce production done well, not with the stupid Jack Antonoff style orchestra in a wind tunnel. The string section adds a nice bridge to the song, and as much as I'm more a fan of a slamming bassline, this really rounds out an introspective track in quite a beautiful way.
2. LUNCH - 2:59
The fact this track bleeds from the last is just brilliant. It's an entire left turn thematically, with a buzzy sounding bass and a dope electric drum beat. Clearly a queer ballad, I like how it uses the semantics of eating someone when it refers to love. It's a head bopper, and I'm definitely nodding my head along. The way it grows with the shoegaze guitars and pulling up the bass, it's again nailing the rise and fall as it strips back. Vocally, Eilish is smashing it. There are brilliant moments of flourish and vibrato before heading back into an R&B style for the chorus. It's a really vibrantly queer song about loving someone, it's great, and you can tell in the cheery vocals it's a subject Eilish takes a lot of joy in talking about. But there's a lot of adult content chucked in there too - this is a different all grown up Billie. I was not expecting the more synth focused end, with the ghasps and added reverbed vocals, but it was a nice way of keeping things different.
3. CHIHIRO - 5:03
I like the sound of this on the opener, it has a similar laid back style with the slap bass and breezy backing claps. The place the bass sits in the mix really weaves around the vocals and FX, and with Eilish's vocals right in the forefront, it's a really nice listening experience. Her lyricism is insanely poetic, and the way she delivers the lines in her signature husky vocals before bringing it up into the higher notes is just an testament to her talent as a singer. It grows into another more spoken word section with some reverbed backing vocals that again add more and more dimension to the mix - and then it goes into this insane build, with the synths growing and growing as the vocals echo away, before boom, we're right back into the bass ladened place we started. It's got a really long runtime at five minutes, but it's moving in it's own ways, there's more to the drums now, and when added to the kick ass bass track, you're nodding your head like the last track. There's a really cool retro edge to this that works really well with Eilish's cadence. And it builds again in the last seconds, to that same wiling synth crescendo and echoed vocals, with a new layer of this hidden high pitch creeping in to add that final definition to it. Props to Finneas, this is a really well produced song.
4. BIRDS OF A FEATHER - 3:30
Another solid beat to this one, and again this style really works with Eilish's voice. Sure it's quite clean, and a little out of my wheelhouse, but damn it's good. There's that little bit of edge in the lyrics, talking about 'turning blue'. And the chorus is such a vibe, with some really bright vocals and flowery production, it's a lovely listen. It's joyful, full of affectionate song writing and cheer. The rise and fall is again nailed, with those small synth moments in the background of the verses just adding a little more texture to keep you dialled in. The bridge with the muted sounds and then the hit into the chorus with the layered vocals is just beautiful, again the production is so slick, and it works so well to this style and the direction this album has taken. Sure, it's not particularly dark or edgy or based off of her nightmares, but there's no denying this is just well made music.
5. WILDFLOWER - 4:21
Ah, an acoustic guitar, another welcomed thematic change. I like how these songs are keeping within a genre/style but consistently pushing the envelope of it and keeping listeners on their feet. It keeps it fresh, and therefore is good to listen to as a full record. This song is again so beautiful, the lyrics bleed emotion and ooze sincerity. The honesty in the lyrics, and the say sometimes she sets up an expectation and then undermines it, it makes you really listen to the words in the song, and paying attention to the pain and feeling. I like that this song isn't too complicated too, it relies on the guitar and some bass, and then a gentle tapped drum beat that just elevates this and again gives it a sonic texture. To be 100% honest I wouldn't have been mad if this was just an acoustic track, but again it's easy listening, and really just sounds good. The added background vocals really add that vocal definition - and again the rise and fall, the way this song builds so organically, it's probably one of my favourite tracks so far in this record. I also really like the fade out to just the guitar in the last part, it brings the track full circle, it's a nice motif.
6. THE GREATEST - 4:54
This one opens up a lot like the last track. The acoustic guitar and similar vocal delivery makes me think this is a little rest stop in the record where it purposely strips itself back to take a minute away from the clean synths and retro vibes to bring the focus more inwards. This track feels kind of self deprecating, with Eilish insinuating sarcastically that she's the best in the world. It's an emotional blow, and when you're talking about someone so commercially successful, you feel that hurt she's putting across in spades. A small bass beat is added soon, and more sparkly reverbed vocals again adding layers and texture, with the bass drum hitting on that perfect stress of the vocals. And then the orchestra appears, bringing the entire song home. The belief that once felt sarcastic now feels like a real admittance, and you can't help but mentally rejoice for her in this insane moment. It feels like a moment of clarity, and you feel quite lucky to be hearing it all unfold. But then it hits the final verse and you're not sure the last moment was real, and it brings you back to the heartbreak. Really beautifully done.
7. L'AMOUR DE MA VIE - 5:34
The beat here is undeniable, with the strings creating a really cool backing to the opener. It's a toe tapper to be sure. The addition of the muted guitar chords is a nice touch, and makes this feel more akin to a jazz performance than a song from a multi-grammy-winning artist. It has a real intimate feel to it, and the hi-hat bleeds in nice and splashy. The drums slam in, and it hits the chorus and it feels like another natural build. It's easy listening to be sure, and although it's not breaking any new ground here, Eilish is playing to her strengths in this track. Her delivery however has a little more kick to it and less rasp, which I like. It takes a nice classy turn with that ride cymbal, and especially enjoy the electric strip back and the slamming build of the bass into something completely different. It's gone back to that synthy vibe from before with a strong beat and vocoded lyrics. It's a complete left turn that actually I'm not too sure about, on the one hand it sounds awesome, but on the other I was really enjoying the previous emotional vibes. However, again I can't deny it's really good, and again has my head bopping along to it.
8. THE DINER - 3:06
I won't lie the opening to this song feels familiar to some of the last few, but I like how this song is a bit darker in vibes to the rest of the record. Again it's taking it's genre and pushing the envelope more and more. The descending synth really adds that unhinged element to the verse, and in the chorus Billy's voice almost mirrors it. The bass hits hard, and with the rest of the instrumentation and strings it feels like a soundtrack to a Netflix horror movie, and that's by no means a bad thing. This is almost a throwback to the more macabre vibes of her earlier work, and as a fan of that I'm a massive fan of this track. There are lots of things hiding in the mix too that make an awesome audible texture to dissect whilst you listen. And the whispered ending? Insane. What a cool track.
9. BITTERSUITE - 4:58
Another huge left turn, with some insane layered synth that feels more like a track that would be at home in a Forza game. The lyrics are let to breathe in the verse section, and in the bridge the building bass make you prepare for the synths laying back in for the chorus. It's a really cool listening experience, with Eilish's vocals layered effortlessly over it. Again it takes another turn, with a vibe I can only describe as funky elevator music. The vocals go to more spoken word than anything else, and I like that as a track this one isn't afraid to take it's own shape. The drum beat coming in and out is also a really nice touch to add to the latter part of this. The vocal delivery is again breathy and subtle, laced with some sort of venom in the delivery of certain words that really reel the listener in. It's a funky track, that again has shades of her earlier work, and is again easy listening, and so well produced I wish I had done it. Somehow, insanely, it takes another switch up, and makes it's vibe somehow even more insane, with long lead synth and whispered vocals. The the instrumental does all the talking, rounding out this track in another really cool way.
10. BLUE - 5:43
More major points to this record for letting the songs transition between themselves, always a fan of when these records are made to be listened to as a conducive whole. This transition is seamless, so seamless that I didn't even notice it. Clearly this track explains Eilish's blue colour palate to the record. The drums are strong, the bass now in the background. Vocally again she is so quick to change her style from spoken word to putting more energy into the delivery. It's more brilliantly easy listening, and is so inherently simple in it's creation that you just marvel at how little it takes to create a soundscape that's so appealing audibly. I was expecting a few changes to it, and as it moves to this underwater sounding piano, you know the lyrics are going to hit you in the gut, and they do. It's another introspective hit, and it delivers these words back to back to back. It reels you in with this emotion, with Eilish's beautiful vocals being that centre-piece. Again it hits another different peak, with oddly pitched down vocals and an electric beat with a scream effect weaved in with the kit. It brings it all back together in the end, with that same breathy vocal over the newly introduced electric beat - it's spellbinding how effortless this all is. With the addition of the strings it feels more akin to a James Bond soundtrack than anything else. What a journey.
(Billie Eilish 2024 - For Rolling Stone)
Overview: Wow, what a beautiful record. So easy to listen to, built to semi-perfection and consistently evolving and renewing itself to different directions you never knew you wanted. The lyrics are so brilliantly open and honest, with a no holes barred look into the intimate world of Eilish, and you can't help but feel lucky that you're being allowed such a deep dive into the world of someone so publicly idolized. This record is such a cool journey, and has completely changed my opinion on Eilish's work - also, some major props to Finneas, even though I'm not a fan of his own music, my god does he know how to produce some absolute bangers.
Highlights: LUNCH, CHIHIRO, WILDFLOWER, THE DINER, BLUE
Rating: 9/10
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