.png)
Album: HIT ME HARD AND SOFT
Artist: Billie Eilish
Genre: #Alternative #R&B #AltPop #Electronic
Label: Interscope Records
Release Date: May 17th, 2024
This past weekend, I (regretfully) called this album upon first impression-
Mid.
This is both a review and formal apology to Billie and Finneas for such incorrect and harsh judgment.
HIT ME HARD AND SOFT is the third studio album from Eilish, and while the singer is already well-known for her various experimentation in theatrical productions, the album still manages to depose any and all predictions and sums up to be, dare I say,
A damn masterpiece.
While the artist has certainly kept the dark, brooding spirit that has been present in her past work, HIT ME establishes itself as a dramatically more mature version of this narrative, diving directly into a sound that encapsulates and shakes the listener at every turn. Songs like LUNCH and THE DINER are both catchy, nostalgic beats reminiscent of her eccentric debut, WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO? However, it's in the longer ballads such as L’AMOUR DE MA VIE and BITTERSUITE that we get a flawless blend of the artists’ recent ambient jazz work and the aberrant electro-synth that departs the record from a third album to a near perfect exhibit of Eilish’s individuality as we know her today.
Constant beat changes and to-die-for transitions when listening from start to finish (which I cannot recommend enough, I literally got chills) are an extremely close second to the highlight overall being the simplicity of the album’s purpose. While much of the discourse I’ve read online so far has primarily focused on the messaging and possible meaning toward Eilish’s exes and possible current partners, she and Finneas take WILDFLOWER and the THE GREATEST to remind audiences of how much feeling comes from Eilish ‘s vocal ability exclusively.
Needless to say, if you’re a longtime fan of the duo like me, while I pray this is not anything close to a conclusion of their work, the sentiment of one is there, showcasing Finneas’s unbelievable creative production abilities and Billie’s commanding range of pitch in only 45 minutes……
…. I’ll be here when the deluxe version drops.
Sounds Like:
1. Lana del Rey
2. Cigarettes after Sex
3. Beach House
Recommended Tracks:
1. BITTERSUITE
2. BIRDS OF A FEATHER
3. THE DINER
Comments