Billie Eilish - Hit Me Hard and Soft
Pop – Released May 17, 2024 – 10 songs, 43 mins
ROZ
Can you believe that this year is just about half over? It really does feel as though the days, weeks and months are flying by at a break-neck speed. Needless to say, this week feels a little special here at Too Sweet Reviews as we dive into our first mainstream pop album of 2024. Billie Eilish and her brother Finneas are back again with their third studio album and I couldn’t be more ecstatic to dive in. This is Hit Me Hard and Soft.
Much like their previous releases Billie’s performances throughout the album are phenomenal, with Finneas once again using his sister’s vocal talent to help decide his production techniques and choices. SKINNY starts the show with Billie up front and dialed in, almost whispering at times, as she typically does. Underneath, a light guitar and string arrangement acts as the stage for the her to reflect on her insecurities and anxieties. The guitar hook continues to loop (albeit on a different key and scale) throughout LUNCH, this time paired with the pattering of drums that now drive a higher energy, quasi-dance pop song. Once again Finneas takes a backseat, going with the minimal approach so Billie can lead – recurring and overarching theme that I’ll expand on later.
The duo breaks away from the aesthetic of the first two songs on CHIHIRO, as Finneas flexes his skills in his personal studio; incorporating a buzzing sawtooth synthesizer arpeggiation that opens wide enough to consume the entire mix, washing Billie away to the back of the room. I find this to be a much-needed sonic switch-up and is one of my favourite moments on the entire record. Billie’s “less is more” utilization in the second half creates a soundscape that I crave more after every listen, making CHIHIRO on my ever-looping short-list near the end of my music reviewing journey. The biggest standout moment comes along during THE GREATEST, a combination of beautiful singing with deep lyricism and a near perfect energy build into a satisfying climax. This particular track ends up being the most powerful in substance as well, showing Billie at her best lyrically as she digs into the complex nature of love and being there for a partner who does not reciprocate that love; a theme that can hit close to home for many. L’AMOUR DE MA VIE sees a switch up in the soundscape once more, an initially slow ballad that mimics its predecessor, however this time with a 2000’s electro-pop style – a style that I always find myself enjoying simply due to the nostalgia of it.
The major concern I have with Hit Me Hard and Soft has to do with what I mentioned before. The question I ask myself is: “is the production strategy that Finneas is implementing becoming a detriment to the progression of Billie as an artist?”. Now that the dust has settled and her mark has been branded on the surface of pop culture for ages to come, it starts to make you yearn for just a little bit more than that gentle guitar plucked underneath an always on-point vocal. This may be ironic coming from a self-proclaimed dance music fanatic, but there are points throughout this listen where it all starts to jumble together. Songs like BIRDS OF A FEATHER, WILDFLOWER and BITTERSUITE sound objectively pretty but don’t seem to add much, rather repeating the same themes that have been tested already and echoed throughout the artist’s deep catalogue. Billie herself had noted before this release that this album wouldn’t be very ‘single-driven’, however maybe this was a reactive statement rather than a proactive statement. Maybe it’s just that nothing stands out as it used to in her previous albums, and therein lies the problem.
Hit Me Hard and Soft is good – good, but not great. On paper, Billie’s voice is as amazing as ever and all the pop elements are there to satisfy most fans and critics as we plod towards the summer solstice. For an album so tightly wrapped around the theme of love, however, it seems to lack that ‘spark’ seen on her earlier efforts; something hard to describe yet is undeniably absent. Has Billie’s ‘bedroom pop’ aesthetic finally reached its saturation point? Considering her ever-increasing stardom and mega-tour backing this effort, all signs point to no. Is the brother-sister duo getting too formulaic and playing it too safe at this stage in their careers? Absolutely, yes.
Overall Rating: 7.9/10
Favourite Song: THE GREATEST
REID
The scene: 2025 Grammy Awards. A return from commercial break reveals a close-up of Billie Eilish sitting on stage with her head down. The screen slowly zooms out to show her brother, Finneas, beginning to strum the chords to standout track, THE GREATEST, from her latest record. Eilish has the crowd in the palm of her hands as she tells a heartfelt tale of unrequited love in that quiet but sensational voice. The slow build erupts to the vocal climax and the stage curtains open to unveil a symphony orchestra. She shrieks in emotion, detailing just how much her counterpart is missing in this relationship. The lights dim but she remains on her feet to close out the performance to a standing ovation, as she’s done countless times in her short career.
At 22-years young, this is already the expectation from the prodigy. Fresh off capturing an Academy Award for Best Original Song (Barbie 2023) and 2023 Grammy for Song of the Year for smash single, What Was I Made For?, Billie returns with her third studio album, HIT ME HARD AND SOFT.
As an avid music fan, it’s an interesting and rewarding experience to watch an artist grow. Billie has matured from the uber-talented adolescent making jams in her bedroom to a full-fledged superstar, right in front of our eyes. On HMHAS, she continues a trend of becoming more open in her lyrical content, one she started on her previous record, Happier Than Ever (2021). Pressures from the industry only amplify as she becomes more famous, especially as a woman. SKINNY is a plea to accept her for who she is as a person and not just based on her appearance. Past relationships have hardened her and she reflects on THE GREATEST in a beautiful, emotional track. She flips it around and has a bit of fun by taking playful shots at her ex on L’AMOUR DE MA VIE. (Anyone else think her and Taylor have a running gag on this song title?). New love interests get a shout out on BIRDS OF A FEATHER, as well as her hit single, LUNCH, illustrating her newfound bisexuality in flirtatious fashion.
On the musical side of things, the duo of Billie and her brother, Finneas, continue with their unique, remarkable creativity. Her well known subdued vocal over heavy bass lays the consistent foundation while finding new ways to bring the songs to another level. The synth is electrifying on CHIHIRO and BITTERSUITE, raising the former from a skipped song to one of the best on the album. Strings on SKINNY and BLUE add the touch of class they often do. I had to check my phone to see if it shuffled in the middle of L’AMOUR DE MA VIE as they pull a complete 180, switching to a high energy synth and heavy auto tune; not my cup of tea but I appreciate the versatility. A notable change on HMHAS is composition and song length. She elected for less songs at a longer duration, with five songs close to or greater than five minutes and another two over four. The songs lose their shine a little as they drag on.
Eilish is a star and her talent will shine through no matter what she does. But one of the things that made her so endearing was her anti-pop attitude. As a lead single, LUNCH is so direct and out of left field, as a fan I was caught off guard. And before I’m cancelled, it has nothing to do with the sexuality. It’s a corny pop song I wouldn’t be sad to never hear it again. As an artist’s life changes, the art will too. And if it doesn’t, the critique will be they keep releasing the same thing. With that said, I do enjoy the weird Billie and hope she returns to that version and doesn’t continue to creep further to sappy pop star on the next one.
Billie and Finneas continue to impress with their exclusive style on HIT ME HARD AND SOFT. While the more emotional lyrical content is a peculiar change for the typically strange Eilish, it’s still a worthy addition to the discography. Several of the songs will be epic in a live setting.
Overall Rating: 7.8/10
Favourite Song: THE GREATEST
LUNDI
Being a pop star requires a hell of a lot more than just good music. While the sonics are the key to beginning the climb to stardom, the public persona of any icon ultimately becomes just as important. For my money, I don’t care about the latter, which is what always made Billie Eilish so damn enticing. She was a pop star only because she made popular music. Unfortunately, the inevitable caught up. The once mysterious and brash Eilish opened the doors to her whole life with her third album Hit Me Hard and Soft. Her attempt to be heartfelt and true, ultimately lacks any sense of emotion at all.
The good news about Eilish’s Hit Me Hard and Soft is it’s still better than 90% of output from her pop peers. She’s solidified that she doesn’t make bad music. I know there’s a mania behind that private jet flying, extra single releasing, chart topping other star, but Billie is the best of the best when you actually consider the music. Even though she ventured down the pop cliche road with her lyrics on her third album the overall vocal prowess still stands out as high quality and Finneas still lays down some standout production moments as the most interesting producer in pop. In comparison to her own discography though it’s disappointing. The thought that hasn’t been able to escape my mind is that if this was her first release she would not have become that instant overnight sensation. Something is missing. It’s ultimately forgettable and uninspired.
Eilish’s writing output is a swing and a miss. I’m sure it did wonders for her mental state and having had similar mental health improvements through TSR writing I’d never critique that thought process, but I do believe the outcome doesn’t meet the Eilish standard. To hear the previously renowned writer with one of the biggest vocabularies in the industry lean on lines like “I’ll love you until I die” is disappointing. Her words are comfortable and risk adverse which eliminates the mystery that surrounded and elevated her all along. She tried to toe the line, but didn’t maintain the necessary balance.
Finneas didn’t help her much either. I’d have considered them a duo up to this album but on Hit Me Hard and Soft he feels void of influence and inspiration. Perhaps that’s by design, perhaps some external influence, or maybe he’s just hit a musical slump of sorts. Whatever reasoning you want to give it, the music development feels half baked. CHIHIRO feels like the only complete song while the back half of L’AMORE DE MA VIE and BITTERSUITE are the only other real memorable moments. He most often lets Eilish go for it on her own and as discussed above, that’s not exactly a good thing. The resulting songs are relatively bland or in case of THE GREATEST, they feel like a comical parody of previous hits (Happier Than Ever). Like Eilish though this is again a comparison across his discography. He’s still one of the best in pop and the album in a vacuum is well produced. It’s crisp but it lacks anything emphatically pleasing. It could be way worse. Just imagine how bad this album would have been with Jack Antonoff at the helm.
In the world of pop Hit Me Hard and Soft is a quality album. In the world of Billie Eilish’s discography it’s extremely underwhelming. Where she goes next will ultimately be more interesting than anything on this record.
Overall Rating: 7.3/10
Favourite Song: CHIHIRO