Billie Eilish - HIT ME HARD AND SOFT
It's been quite some time since I forced myself to enjoy an album, actually to love a new album that everyone else is loving too.
The reason I didn't put this review up on the weekend the project released is that I had the suspicion that something wasn't clicking and I didn't know what it was. I've now spun this thing about 7-8 times and I'm already attracted to this album like a magnet, but I'm attracted for a different reason, not specifically to keep returning to what I love about Billie's sound, but to scout out the elements that don't emotionally click for me and to make sense of them. Don't get me wrong, this is a very enjoyable project and at the end of the day, I'm just one dude with an opinion and if the project doesn't hit me as hard (see what I did, teehee) as it wants to, then so be it. I tried so damn hard. I really did. Anyway, I've pretty much overstayed my welcome with this project anyway so let me just get out my thoughts.
One extreme positive about the album is that, at least to my ears, the project kicks off with a near flawless three track run. I was emotionally taken away from the first time I heard the opener, SKINNY, which focuses on the present state of fame that Billie is surrounded by, commenting about how the celebrity image affects perception and calling the internet an echo chamber of opinions, while the soft whisper-like tones of Billie's voice delicately fall upon our ears like tiny angels. It's a soothing opener to the album which leads very nicely into the more upbeat and playful, LUNCH, where the tone of the album almost does a full 180. This I feel is marketed to casual fans as the album's true single and if that is the case, then good for Billie because this song is catchy, lovesick, and all-around one of her most fun tracks to date.
And then with the song, CHIHIRO, call me crazy but this is one of her best written, performed, and produced songs, period. There's a lot going on for the five minute aura it exists in. The vocal layering is breathtaking, almost like your peering around an old building and hearing many Billie vocals at once. The downtempo house inspired beat from FINNEAS is a guiding light taking listeners down a whimsical and mysterious path. And then Billie's performance is one of her most versatile recordings yet, as she's gotten much stronger over the years at controlling her vocal dynamics and this song is a brilliant showcase of the range she can control. It's seriously a crowning achievement for her and FINNEAS and I don't think there's a powerhouse of a song from them that can top this one, at least not the remaining tracks.
It's at this point in the album where my high expectations started to simmer gradually. What else can complement the water-tight beginning run of tracks that can easily compare to them? I don't know, really. I think the problem from here is that Billie and FINNEAS unintentionally put themselves into a corner, one where each of the remaining tracks attempts to capture the same emotional potency and consistency of the previous songs while trying to vary up the sonic soundscape for the rest of project so each song doesn't come across as the same. And to their credit, they definitely did that, albiet with sorta mixed results.
I think the change up into BIRDS OF A FEATHER might be too big of a hurdle to shift from for my taste, as the style is noticeably less dark than the album set it up to be, the writing, at least to my ears, is equal parts more lovesick and generic, to the point where it loses me in the middle of the track, and overall doesn't make for a worthwhile complement to its predecessor. Then WILDFLOWER, a track which I initially loved on first listen, has only grown off on me from that point, as most of the time Billie tries to capture a similar melancholy mood that the opener did so perfectly, to the point where it almost comes as a re-hash of a better ballad from her previous works. And by the time the massive crescendo on THE GREATEST hits you, I can't lie, it almost feels forced. The thing about Billie's softer and slower songs that eventually payoff into these larger than life explosions of sound is that the progression feels natural, like you're standing next to Billie as she brushes off her emotions in your face and the conversation gets only more intense as it progresses. I don't think the build up to the climax is unwarranted by any means, but if the writing were more engaging and the progression of the track felt more in the moment, this would definitely win over me, for sure.
The last few tracks on the album are stronger than the previous lull of tracks, mostly. The problem this time around doesn't really come all too much from the lyrical standpoint, or Billie's vocals, or even the consistent and varied production. It's that within the latter moments of the project, there seems to a mish-mash of ideas for each of the tracks that the album starts to lose its distinct sense of identity. The sweet and soft lovesick poetry on L'AMOUR DE MA VIE is pleasant while it's on, but when we transition to the instrumental synthy changeup toward the four minute mark, Billie shifts into this weird autotune passage that feels unfinished, unwarranted, and inconclusive to the rest of the song. For me, that is an idea that could've easily been fleshed out some more, like at least make her autotune sound as good as her actual voice, if that's a route you want to continue down. I sort of have similar issues with BITTERSUITE, which is three songs in one with some pretty engaging production ideas interlaced within it, enough to keep me engaged for the ride, but not enough to complement each side of the track. These honestly altogether sound like a string of three "cool" demos that fans will get something out of. The final moments of BLUE, however, changes the production up once more, sending the listener down the same path that started the project off and ending with some subtle, string-kissed production and soft harmonies and vocal layering that makes the finish of the project worthwhile.
Overall, I enjoy this thing with each listen, but I'm not head over heels for it like the user average suggests I should be. I'm kinda upset that my score is lower that I wanted it to be because even though Billie and FINNEAS broke out into the scene half a decade ago, I believe they have the versatility between them to create a modern masterpiece that fans and critics can all get on-board with. I firmly believed from the moment I hit play on my first listen, and even though it didn't turn out as captivating for me as I wanted it to be, there are still some really strong and vulnerable ideas throughout this thing. If the two can just hone in on what moments make the project click for me, I think they have it in them to release a modern classic.
Favorite Tracks: Skinny, Lunch, Chihiro, Birds of a Feather, Blue,
Least Fav: Bittersuite
6/10
