HIT ME HARD AND SOFT by Billie Eilish: Album Review
bro i can't think of a funny subtitle. i don't know any pop community inside jokes. i'm really out of my element here
I have never written a review of a pop album since starting this blog. My music taste for the past year or so has been exclusively rap albums and some pop singles (except Olivia Rodrigo’s projects, which I always really enjoyed) (also except for BRAT, which was just great). It speaks volumes that this album was what spurred me to start listening to more pop as a whole, because it just was that incredible of an experience.
HIT ME HARD AND SOFT is a very atmospheric experience. It mixes so many different moods, genres, and styles of music, yet is unwaveringly coherent throughout. I don’t know if this is a real genre that exists, but if it’s not, this album would be a great starting point to start calling projects “electro-folk.” Billie somehow manages to blend quiet, minimalistic instrumentation with intricate electronic beats and wild rock guitars to form the backbone of this masterpiece.
One of my favorite tracks on here is “L’AMOUR DE MA VIE,” which is probably the best exhibition of this genre-mixing Billie does. It starts with a very simple guitar and soothing vocals in the classic singer-songwriter formula. On the second verse, some nice drums supplement the guitar base. But halfway through, the song totally transforms into an EDM hit straight out of a nightclub, completing with a pulsating beat, distorted vocals, and jumpy synths.
The lyricism on this song is also notable. I feel so relieved that I can write about lyrics again after three straight reviews without any memorable writing—Tyler’s dance album, which did have some good one-liners but nothing outstanding, then Playboi Carti’s rhythmic mumbling and Drake’s “ooooohhhhhh girlllllll you ain’t treat me righttttttt” for 20 straight songs.
The two parts of the song represent conflicted emotions over an ended relationship, and it captures the frequent cognitive dissonance involved very well. In the folk half, Billie diminishes the importance of her partner in her love life, and in the electronic half, she expresses elation about finally being alone and free. Even though the song’s title is in French for whatever reason, I still think it’s a 10/10 highlight.
The verses on the rest of the album are similarly well-written. That’s why it’s ironic that my favorite song on the project is probably the one with the most shallow subject matter: “LUNCH,” the song about eating girls out. This undoubtedly has the most uncreative concept and writing of the entire LP, but it’s so entertaining that I can’t fault its simplicity, which is probably partially responsible for its catchiness.
The track begins with an almost hip-hop-like drum pattern before some low-pitched (trumpets? horns? I’m not sure) and guitar chords enter on the first verse. One of the chords sounds exactly like the Better Call Saul intro, which doesn’t confer any bonus points for the song’s rating but is still pretty funny.
“LUNCH” is where the album adopts its main sound of electronic-dominant production backed by soft folk. That’s because the opening track, “SKINNY,” is a slow, emotional ballad about Billie’s struggles with body image. It is very difficult to get me to enjoy slower music, but this one hits the spot. Billie’s voice is soft and soothing to suit the deep subject matter she opens up about: the lines
People say I look happy
Just because I got skinny
But the old me is still me and maybe the real me
And I think she’s pretty
And I still cry
immediately caught my attention and clued me into the fact that this opener is absolutely beautiful, both in its sound and its writing.
“CHIHIRO,” for a song with such depressing subject matter, is very loud. It’s a song with an almost symphonic quality, where the synths and Billie’s voice swell up until they hit a beautiful climax. It’s difficult to pinpoint a single emotion that this peak evokes, but I think Billie captures a masterful blend of anger and despair by pairing her desperate-sounding vocals with chaotic production. “Chaotic” is probably the best way to describe this track, but it is a beautiful chaos.
“BIRDS OF A FEATHER” was this album’s biggest single. Hearing the 10-second clip of it that circulated through social media, this always just seemed like an average pop song to me. But sometime at the end of 2024, I listened to this song in full for the first time and realized that TikTok and Instagram completely overlooked the most beautiful part of the song—the lead-up to the chorus where Billie repeats “till the day that I die.” Hearing this song in all its glory was what spurred me to listen to this album in full (at least eventually, like six months later, since I heard that song while college apps were still in progress.) The only thing that holds this song back is some pretty standard pop production. Billie played it safe with this instrumental unlike countless others on this project, and it sounds just pretty above average.
“THE GREATEST” is probably my least favorite track on the project. When the rest of the songs are either extremely catchy (“SKINNY,” “BIRDS OF A FEATHER”) or commit to some experimentation (everything else), a song that’s just a plain instrumental and vocals isn’t very memorable. I do like the guitar at the end—it sounds very similar to the one on “happier than ever,” but I think it takes way too long to build up to (in contrast to “happier than ever,” where it’s in every chorus.)
“THE DINER” is another really fun song. It’s built off an interesting premise—the idea of stalking an ex or crush to the point of obsession. The production on this song is probably my favorite on the album. It’s funky with a very nice mysterious quality to it, and it’s the instrumental with the most bass, something I always enjoy.
The final highlight of this album to me is “BLUE.” This outro track is a retrospective of sorts about the entire album, where Billie recounts all the emotional experiences that led to this album. The first half is a more upbeat extension of the ending of the previous track, “BITTERSUITE,” yet includes the somewhat downbeat line
I try to live in black and white, but I’m so blue
The second half gets even darker and deeper, and really reminds me of Olivia Rodrigo’s “hope ur ok.” It lends a bit of forgiveness to an ex-lover, sympathizes with their unfortunate circumstances, yet still acknowledges their flaws.
I don’t blame you
But I can’t change you
Don’t hate you
But we can’t save you
I think that this album is a beautiful showcase of Billie’s talent. Not only does she have impeccable vocals that I can’t point anything bad out about, she pairs it with bold production choices that ultimately pay off. Her ability to mix so many musical styles that seem so distinct is masterful.
RATING: 9.1/10
Favorites:
LUNCH
THE DINER
L’AMOUR DE MA VIE
Individual Track Ratings:
