Last week Billie Eilish released her third studio album titled “Hit Me Hard and Soft.” It includes 10 songs ranging in styles from alternative pop to jazz with new vocal techniques. Eilish announced the album April 13 along with dates for a world tour and merch.
In an interview with Zane Lowe for Apple Music, Eilish talked about anticipating the release of the album and choosing not to release singles, saying the project “feels like a good new chapter.” The interview took place a month before the album’s release, while Eilish was filming the music video for “Lunch,” the second track.
“I’m ready to go, just for the visuals and the performances and, like, everything that has to do with the music,” Eilish said.
While creating “Hit Me Hard and Soft,” Eilish worked hand in hand with Finneas O’Connell, her brother, who produced the album as well as her previous projects. O’Connell has been very successful as a songwriter, producer and actor, receiving awards such as the Academy Award for best original song and the Grammy Award for song of the year.
Eilish told Lowe that the approach she and O’Connell took for the album was to create something where both of them did not “have to worry about anybody else’s ears and their opinion.”
In all 10 tracks fans will hear the whispered vocals, electronic synthesizers, mid-song switch-ups and other aspects representative of Eilish’s style. Even more, they will find clearer vocals and transparency on topics including heartbreak and love lasting after death in tracks like “Birds of a Feather” and “L’amour de ma Vie.”
The album tackles various other topics like falling in love, falling out of love, companionship, self-identity and more. In “Wildflower,” a ballad reflecting on the loss of a friendship with her significant other’s former partner, listeners hear Eilish’s iconic whispered vocals.
Reflecting on a relationship in a similar manner, the sixth track, titled “The Greatest,” discusses self-appreciation in an uneven relationship with lyrics like, “Let you come and go / Whatever state I’m in / Man, am I the greatest / My congratulations / All my love and patience / All my admiration.” Eilish congratulates herself on providing unconditional affection to a partner despite personal hardships, only to face unrequited love.
In the ninth track, “Bittersuite,” Eilish touches on avoidance and trying not to fall in love despite the aching desire to do so. The song also features electronic pop beats with a slight change in tempo and vocals towards the middle of the track.
Eilish’s latest album invites listeners to a cinematic experience, with great visuals, emotions and storytelling making fans of Eilish excited to see what comes next. It’s a beautiful new addition to the music world. In the words of The Guardian, the album shows that “among the ranks of mega-selling pop stars, Billie Eilish remains a fascinating law unto herself.”
