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Billie Eilish has finally dropped her third studio album titled Hit Me Hard And Soft to all major DSPs, which follows up on her Grammy-winning project from 2021, Happier Than Ever.
The album is expressive and very intimate, filled with guitar loops, bouncy drum progressions, and themes resonating with Billie's identity, like depression and the effects of fame weighing on her. Hit Me Hard And Soft successfully captures elements of pain mixed with acceptance, setting the singer up for another hit project.
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Finneas Eilish took to Instagram on May 17 to announce the album's release with a post of him and Billie working on the fourth track (BIRDS OF A FEATHER). He explained the impact making this album had on his creative process in a caption that read:
"There were so many times during the making of it that I thought we’d never finish it or had no idea what we were doing I lost count- just goes to show- when you’re in it, you might just have to try to keep swimming- you can only really see the ocean once you’re on the shore."
Billie Eilish reveals intimate lyricism on her latest album Hit Me Hard And Soft
Billie's Hit Me Hard And Soft is a 10-track project that her official website describes as an album that aims to "hit" the listeners "Hard and Soft" through deep lyricism and dark-spacy instrumentals.
The project was distributed to all major DSPs (Digital Streaming Platforms) via Darkroom and Interscope Records and has a complete run-time of almost 44 minutes. Some of the major themes that Billie Eilish dives into on this project include:
- Acceptance
- Self-Reflection
- Depression
- Mental Health
- Relationships
- Gender Identity
- Love
- Societal Pressure
- Fears
- Sacrifice
- Desire
- Fantasies
Disclaimer: This review is rated explicit. Reader's discretion is advised.
SKINNY
(Producer Credits: Finneas)
Billie opens on Hit Me Hard And Soft with the self-reflecting SKINNY, which dives into the idea of societal judgment affecting the perception of her body, leading to mental anguish caused by issues like body dysmorphia.
Although this theme has consistently been brought up throughout her career, the way she expresses the effect of dealing with her own body in this song is fresh and emphasizes the importance of self-acceptance, in lines like:
"People say I look happy / Just because I got skinny / But the old me is still me and maybe the real me / And I think she's pretty."
LUNCH
(Producer Credits: Finneas)
On LUNCH, Billie explores her sexuality on an explicit, funky track where she brings forward themes like relationships, gender identity, and love. The track is bright and bouncy and matches Billie's excited energy as she expresses her love for another girl on lines like:
"I could eat that girl for lunch, Yeah, she dances on my tongue / Tastes like she might be the one / And I could never get enough / I could buy her so much stuff, it's a craving, not a crush, huh."
CHIHIRO
(Production Credits: Finneas)
The title of the third track is a reference to a character from the 2001 Oscar-winning film Spirited Away, which revolves around a girl (Chihiro) who learns to appreciate herself and life after facing her fears.
Much like Chihiro, Billie too expresses herself as the protagonist of a story who, although constantly dealing with pressures from society, has managed to face these fears to learn the value of acceptance. The chorus is extremely notable, including lines like:
"Open up the door, can you open up the door? / I know you said before you can't cope with any more / You told me it was war, said you'd show me what's in store / I hope it's not for sure, can you open up the door?"
BIRDS OF A FEATHER
(Production Credits: Finneas)
Billie Eilish provides her strongest melodies, mixed in with some of the best production work Finneas has created over his career. The lyrics revolve around Eilish's professing her love and willingness to go far and beyond in hopes of finding a secure relationship.
Notable lines emphasizing her love for this unnamed individual can be felt in her first verse, where Billie sings:
"I want you to stay, 'Til I'm in the grave / 'Til I rot away, dead and buried / 'Til I'm in the casket you carry, If you go, I'm goin' too, uh / 'Cause it was always you, and if I'm turnin' blue, please don't save me."
WILDFLOWER
(Production Credits: Finneas)
Billie titles the fifth track WILDFLOWER, which refers to an uncultivated flower that grows in nature where it naturally would never be found, as she expresses her conflicted mindset dealing with a close friend's breakup.
Billie highlights how, after initially comforting this person, she went on to date her boyfriend, leading Eilish into a tormented mental spiral. Some of the lyrics that express her mindset regarding this situation have been listed below:
"She was cryin’ on my shoulder, all I could do was hold her / Only made us closer until July / Now I know that you love me / You don't need to remind me, I should put it all behind me, shouldn't I?"
THE GREATEST
(Production Credits: Finneas)
The sixth track on Hit Me Hard And Soft is the highly emotional track titled THE GREATEST, where Billie dives into themes of love, selfless sacrifice, and desire. The well-produced vocals, credited to Finneas, bring out the singer's somber performance perfectly, as she opens on the track, stating:
"I'm trying my best / To keep you satisfied / Let you get your rest / While I stayed up all night."
L’AMOUR DE MA VIE
(Production Credits: Finneas)
The title of the track, L’AMOUR DE MA VIE, is a French term that translates to "Love of my life." Billie identifies with feelings of heartbreak and remorse that stem from a failed relationship over a lengthy production that mixes both soft melodic music and an upbeat, funky pop composition.
Finneas transitions the song into a production drawing similarities to 90s pop music with a well-executed beat switch, creating one of the biggest highlight moments from the album. Notable lines from this song include:
"So you found her, now go fall in love / Just like we were if I ever was / It's not my fault, I did what I could / You made it so hard like I knew you would."
THE DINER
(Production Credits: Finneas)
Billie brings forward the menacing reality of dealing with stalkers on THE DINER, where she takes on the role of a stalker to highlight the twisted behavior they indulge in.
Being one of the most famous artists in the world has resulted in Eilish dealing with stalkers on numerous occasions, which is also a topic she's consistently brought up throughout her career on songs like NDA. Some of the more notable moments from this song include:
"I saw you on the screens, I know we're meant to be / You're starrin' in my dreams, in magazines / You're lookin' right at me, I'm here around the clock, I'm waitin' on your block / But please don't call the cops, they'll make me stop, and I just wanna talk."
BITTERSUITE
(Production Credits: Finneas)
A second blended production appears on the track BITTERSUITE, where we find Billie indulging in distant dreamy fantasies while highlighting the distant feelings she believes she is burdened with. The chorus is notable for lines like:
"I don't need to breathe when you look at me, all I see is green / And I think that we're in between everything I've seen / In my dream, have it once a week, can't land on my feet / Can't sleep, have you underneath all of my beliefs / Keep it briеf, I'll wait in the suite."
BLUE
(Production Credits: Finneas)
The final song on Billie Eilish's third studio album is BLUE, which acts as a perfect closer to the deeply emotional and reflective project. This track invites listeners in by speaking about the depressive mindset she deals with.
The most interesting portion of BLUE is when Billie references lines from other tracks on Hit Me Hard And Soft in her first verse, where she states:
"I thought we were the same / Birds of a feather, now I'm ashamed / I told you a lie, désolée, mon amour / I'm tryin' my best, don't know what's in store / Open up the door (Blue) / In the back of my mind, I'm still overseas / A bird in a cage, thought you were made for me."
Finneas shines on this project as he delivers some of the best production work of his career, composing captivating beats with transient melodies and thick bass elements, sprinkled with funk-pop tropes throughout the project.
Billie Eilish establishes herself as one of the most unique pop artists of her generation by delivering lyrically sounding vocal performances, creating a project that, when gradually picked apart, reveals deeper layers of her tormented psyche.
