Billie Eilish released her third studio album on May 17, titled “Hit Me Hard and Soft.” The album debuted at number two on the Billboard Hot 200 and all tracks were charted in the top 40 on Billboard Hot 100.
“SKINNY”: 10/10
“SKINNY” was a great track, the lyrics, accompanied by the instrumental and vocals, had a lot of impact and meaning. This track is very transparent, touching on body shaming and her past relationships, which makes it such a relatable and touching track. The instrumental of the song has two changes, similar to “NDA” from “Happier Than Ever,” which transitions into “Therefore I am.” The instrumental transitions into the sound used in “BLUE,” then to the beginning of “LUNCH.”
“LUNCH”: 9/10
“LUNCH” was much different from the first track, everything seemed more carefree and fun. “LUNCH” was an amazing choice for the album’s lead single, charting No.1 on Top Rock & Alternative albums and No.5 on Billboard Hot 100. The genre for this song was fairly different compared to other tracks with it consisting of Electro, Synth-rock, Synth-pop and alternative dance. The different sound is refreshing, and it’s a good contrast from “SKINNY.”
“CHIHIRO”: 10/10
“CHIHIRO” references the name of the main character, Chihiro from the film “Spirited Away” from Hayao Miyazaki. But the song doesn’t only reference the name, a handful of lyrics are inspired by the film. On the first listen, I was blown away. Not only is the song itself meaningful, but the music video visualizes a handful of things you could miss by just listening to the song. Eilish said on an Instagram post, “one of my favorite videos i’ve made & truly one of the greatest days of my life.” The music video for “CHIHIRO” really is a visual representation of a toxic relationship. The song can be interpreted as having many different meanings, and that’s what I like the most about it.
“BIRDS OF A FEATHER”: 9/10
“BIRDS OF A FEATHER” is a well made song. It’s currently her number one song, with over one-billion streams. This song is upbeat, but in a running through a field of flowers type of way.
“WILDFLOWER”: 8/10
“WILDFLOWER” talks about a more vulnerable part of her, talking about breaking girl code. “It was a feeling that I was experiencing that I think I was alone in. That whole song is kind of like…it’s like a girl code song. It’s like a breaking girl code thing.” it isn’t special compared to other songs, but nevertheless it’s still a well-made song.
“THE GREATEST”: 10/10
This song starts off slow and calm, similar to the other tracks on this album. It gets faster and more emotional near the end, and I believe that’s what makes this song feel so nice to listen to. When listening to the song you can hear the emotion in her voice. I feel that this song is relatable to an extent, the feeling of trying hard to keep someone happy. Understanding the feeling makes the song nicer to listen to. I also like that after the belt, the instrumental for “BLUE” is used again, though slightly different.
“L’AMOUR DE MA VIE”: 9/10
“L’AMOUR DE MA VIE” switches the genre once again with a jazz, retro-pop and soft-rock mix. The song has a switch at the end again, making the song refreshing and fun after each listen. The title also gives a hint to what the song is about, ‘L’Amour de ma vie’ means the love of my life in French. I really like the care-free, almost mocking tone in her voice in the opening verse.
“THE DINER”: 10/10
This song is eerie compared to other tracks on the album, it’s written in the perspective of a stalker Eilish had dealt with 2021. The backstory paired with the sound makes this song so creepy.
“BITTERSUITE”: 8/10
This song feels very repetitive, after a few listens it gets really boring. It’s still a good song, but it isn’t that interesting. Once again the instrumental for “BLUE” is used at the end of the song, making a good transition into the final track.
“BLUE”: 10/10
This song is a mix of her unreleased songs “Born Blue” and “True Blue.” I enjoy the change up near the end of “BLUE,” changing from a slow and quiet sound, to more bass filled. It makes the song interesting with each listen and is the perfect song to conclude the album.
