After three years, Billie Eilish is back and better than ever with her third studio album called “Hit Me Hard and Soft.” With the success and praise of her song “What Was I Made For?” for the “Barbie” film and her two previous albums, “When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?” and “Happier Than Ever,” fans were ecstatic when Eilish announced the release for her newest album.
Eilish went above and beyond for this release as she didn’t put out any singles until the full album was dropping. She only gave fans teasers of songs on the album by having listening parties at Coachella and giving snippets to music interviewer, Zane Lowe, during their interview. These previews had fans going wild and eager to hear the full length album. Now that the album is finally here, let’s dive into the newest era of Billie Eilish’s career and see if the hype surrounding this new album is definitely worth it.
This album is one of Eilish best throughout her discography so far. “Hit Me Hard and Soft” shows Eilish’s vulnerable side by releasing her most personal songs to date. The album opens with a beautiful song titled “Skinny.” In this song, Eilish talks about the insecurities she faces in her life. She writes about her body issues, worrying about aging and her first time falling in love with someone of the same sex.
This isn’t the first time Billie has written about her body. In both her previous albums “When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?” and “Happier Than Ever,” Eilish has written about the public’s perception of beauty and how she feels the pressure to meet them. The gut-wrenching lyrics alongside the violins in the background add a beautiful touch to a heartbreaking song.
Eilish also describes her insecurities involving her past relationships in her song “Wildflower.” Fans speculate that this track could be referencing her ex-boyfriend Jesse Ruthford’s ex-girlfriend, Devon Lee Carlson. In the song, Eilish talks about her friendship towards Carlson before dating Ruthford and her constantly comparing herself to Carlson throughout the entire relationship while feeling guilty about starting the relationship with Rutherford.
The speculation about the song’s meaning had fans going crazy as they connected the dots just from the song title. Carlson is widely known for her phone case company called Wildflower Cases, so it’s easy for fans to try and link the connections back to Carlson.
Throughout most of the songs on the album, they transition into the next song on the tracklist. For example, as “Skinny” ends, the song “Lunch” begins to play. Eilish does this again with her song “Bittersuite” ending as the start of “Blue” begins to play. The transitions in between the songs flow smoothly as if it’s one continuous song with transitions floating so effortlessly that it seems like the album never ends. It begs listeners to want more songs and for the album to never reach the end.
Fans just might get their wish as it is speculated that Eilish is releasing a “double album,” which means she would be releasing another album right after this current release. There has been no confirmation yet, but this won’t stop fans from believing.
Whether or not a second album will be released, “Hit Me Hard and Soft” was a beautiful album; down to the lyrics, the production and Eilish’s vocals. The amount of praise and love this album has been getting, fans shouldn’t be surprised if this album gets nominated for Grammys next award season.
