Billie Eilish’s 2024 third studio album, “Hit Me Hard and Soft,” exemplifies her signature style. It blends haunting vocals with introspective lyrics and a minimalist yet impactful production. Eilish co-wrote this album with her brother and frequent collaborator Finneas O’Connell, who also produced it.
It starts with SKINNY, reflecting on the tension between public, the perception and personal identity, touching on issues like body image and the pressures of fame. The track builds up slowly and delivers an emotional punch toward the end with its strings. Oh, I love strings.
On this album, Eilish incorporates orchestral arrangements into several songs – it is really one of the many examples of creative growth she presents on this record. Eilish’s vocals paired with the cello, violin, and viola feel like a match made in heaven on this opening track.
The lead single, LUNCH, quickly follows and stands out with its energetic beat and candid exploration of Eilish’s sexuality, making it a contender for song of the summer. It is playful. It is explicit, too, in Eilish’s craving and lust for the first time, mainly since she’s spoken more openly about embracing her queer identity:
“I could eat that girl for lunch. Yeah, she dances on my tongue… Tastes like she might be the one”.
CHIHIRO, inspired by Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away, is a testament to the album’s diversity. It features subtle production, an infectious bassline, and sprawling synths. As so well stated in their review at SputinikMusic.com, “When it hits its (dynamic) peak in a spiral of arpeggios courtesy of producer-brother Finneas, the most engaging facet is not the pure ear candy of his synthesizer arrangement, but the fragile intensity with which Billie’s shouts attempt to break through umpteen layers of reverb from well underneath him in the mix. We’re treated to a sugar rush on one hand, and the heart-in-mouth aesthetic of a protagonist trapped under ice on the other — it’s not a ‘banger’ by anyone’s estimation…. but its unpredictable structure and careful subversion of tension-and-release makes for one of the most rewarding and creative events of the 2024 mainstream.”
It is really fantastic.
BIRDS OF A FEATHER showcases Eilish’s dynamic vocal range and the meticulous production work of her brother, Finneas. It’s a fun track, but it’s so sophisticated at the same time.
WILDFLOWER gently follows, recounting Eilish’s experience comforting a girl after a difficult breakup and then having a romantic relationship with the person the girl broke up with. It’s beautiful—just beautiful, full stop.
One of my favorite tracks from the album (did I already mention my favorites?) is THE GREATEST. With lyrics like:
“Man, am I the greatest. My congratulations. All my love and patience.. All my admiration. All the times I waited. For you to want me naked. Made it all look painless. Man, am I the greatest”
I LOVE THIS SONG. No, Seriously, even without having to put it in bold caps.
L’AMOUR DE MA VIE, a title Eilish quickly reveals is a lie she told someone, may start as a waltzing, old-timey sounding confession of deceit – “But I need to confess, I told you a lie, I said you, you were the love of my life.” What follows is wonderfully unexpected: two minutes of thumping, heavily autotuned hyper-pop. Halfway through the song, there is a fantastic beat switch accented by bright ‘’80s-style synths as Eilish sings in autotune, a tool she has used conservatively but methodically in her work. F$%K, it works.
For the most part, the rest of the album also works. THE DINER offers a haunting commentary on celebrity stalkers but is pretty skippable, and BITTERSUITE is a track with… suites. It is one of the several with two different beat switches, both of which are remarkable, and turns lovingly into the final track, BLUE, where she makes so many references to a number of the other tracks on the album that it practically writes itself. It blends indie rock, trip-hop, and classical strings, encapsulating the theme of navigating love and fame. This diversity in the album’s sound is a true reflection of Eilish’s artistic growth and exploration. On top of being a fantastic closer, Eilish gives one of her most moving vocal performances on the album.
Conclusion
Honestly, the themes throughout this album, of emotional conflict and resilience, are typical of Eilish’s introspective songwriting. The juxtaposition of being hit hard yet softly captures the duality of her experiences and emotions. Eilish’s voice remains a focal point, delivering the lyrics with a delicate yet powerful emotional weight. Her ability to convey vulnerability and strength simultaneously is a highlight.
Love it.
9.0/10
Chris Garrod, June 8, 2024