Emotional maturity, adventurous synths, moody choruses, and intense vocal arrangements can be found throughout the scattered yet perfectly placed tracks in “HIT ME HARD AND SOFT” (HMHAS). Billie Eilish, having been in the spotlight of the music industry from quite a young age, has managed to surprise critics and casual listeners alike yet again with the powerful instruments chosen in this album. This LP (long play) is both Billie’s and her brother Finneas’s and is regarded as their most confident display of work to date, radiating nothing but raw emotion and musical intelligence. As the name suggests, this record combines the quieter aspects of Bille’s voice and subtle noises with the heavy-hitting guitars and synths layered on top of one another to create a perfect ambiance of encapsulation.
Thematically, the album represents Billie’s emotional growth, evidently expressed by the lyrical content throughout each track. It’s not uncommon for her to discuss her experiences with past relationships, and HMHAS does so in a refreshing and even intimate manner. The opening track “SKINNY” accomplishes this by first diving into who Billie is as a person. Revealing how she views herself and how other people view her, as well. The elegant finger-style picking of the guitar accompanied by her iconic soft tone creates a beautiful environment for listeners, displaying what’s to come.
After the meticulously orchestrated violins ring out, the listeners are immediately immersed in the groovy song “LUNCH.” This might be the most straightforward and overbearingly lustful song Billie has put out, elaborating on her sexual desire to have a romantic relationship with a person of the same gender. In previous years, Billie has been accused of “queerbaiting” — a term that describes a person hinting at LGBTQ+ representation but not clarifying it. Her blunt lyrical choices blended with the dirty bass can be considered a defiant stand against these allegations and an attempt to prove critics wrong.
Tracks such as “CHIHIRO” and “L’AMOUR DE MA VIE” display Finneas’s musical genius through waves of intense synths that crash down following their massive buildups. These synths transport the listener into a vivacious atmosphere, where it is impossible not to bop your head. In contrast, the weird and almost disturbing sounds found in “THE DINER” perfectly encapsulate Finneas’s ability to instantly set the mood for that track.
The slow instrumentals paired with fierce vocals found in tracks such as “WILDFLOWER” and “THE GREATEST” perfectly correlate with the meaning of each song — relationships and the hurt they bring. These two tracks demonstrate Billie’s vocal capabilities in haunting yet beautiful ways; you can’t help but be sucked into the story she’s singing. Particularly in the latter track, Billie’s rare belting style combined with Finneas’s majestic drop perfectly convey their emotions.
Even with all the heartbreaks in these tracks, there was still a spot for a love song, and that’s exactly what “BIRDS OF A FEATHER” was. Despite the grim lyrics Billie chose to sing this track with, it fits thematically with the rest of the album, talking about the joys of what a healthy relationship should be. The track was inspired by music from the ‘80s and was one of the most successful songs on the album for a good reason.
The last two tracks, “BITTERSUITE” and “BLUE,” close the album with powerful lyrics, both of which retell the story of HMHAS, resembling the same gimmick Billie used in her debut album. “BLUE” contains scrapped lyrics from one of her earliest songs, which completely surprised fans. The meaning of “BLUE” is ambiguous, but the track still represents the cycle of a “relationship,” and its presentation of isolated vocals with subtle backing noises, enforcing the idea of “expect the unexpected.”
Every track on this LP has an underlying message, and with distinct sounds, they emphasize how important it is to get a message across to an audience. From the “hard” tracks like “LUNCH” and “CHIHIRO” to the “soft” tracks such as “SKINNY” and “L’AMOUR DE MA VIE,” HMHAS exemplifies the importance of creating an atmosphere paired with lyrical content, and maintaining a central story throughout an album.
