In a mellifluous mix of longing, lust, insecurity and infatuation, pop music sensation Billie Eilish has made a lasting impact on the music industry and beyond with her third and newest album “Hit Me Hard and Soft.”
The May 2024 release marked a significant moment in Eilish’s musical career. Drastically different from her previous albums, which featured 14 and 16 tracks, “Hit Me Hard and Soft” includes just 10. Yet, despite its brevity, it hit 339,000 album-equivalent units in its opening week.
The album opens with “Skinny,” where Eilish immediately delves into the struggle of body image insecurities, beginning the song with a wave of pensive, sincere lyrics. Off to a strong start, this emotionally vulnerable piece sets the tone for the rest of the album.
An abrupt transition leads into the second track, “Lunch,” a catchy, lighthearted song describing a “craving” for an unnamed lover. With a distinctive beat, “Lunch” has quickly become one of the most iconic tracks on the album and an earworm for many listeners.
The next two tracks, “Chihiro” and “Birds of a Feather,” maintain strong beats that slightly drown out Eilish’s vocals. “Chihiro” loosely references “Spirited Away,” the 2001 animated film by Studio Ghibli. Its harmonious instrumentals and lyrical aura parallel the journey of Chihiro, the film’s protagonist.
Revolving around love and wishing for a relationship to last, “Birds of a Feather” is one of the album’s most popular tracks, captivating listeners with its heartwarming lyrics and powerful vocals near the end.
The album then plunges into deeply emotional and melancholic tracks with “Wildflower” and “The Greatest.” Dealing with themes of sorrow, anger and guilt, both tracks start soft and sad. As the songs progress, the instrumentals build up and Eilish’s vocals grow in power.
“I like Wildflower because of the bridge where she just mixed all the instrumentals together; it’s just perfect,” Andres Soterlo (12), long-time Eilish fan, said. “And in the outro when she repeats the bridge again, but with fewer instrumentals—it’s just a really good track.”
Eilish then sings her brutally honest confession to a past lover in “L’Amour De Ma Vie,” which means “the love of my life” in English. After a delicate and catchy start, the track shifts suddenly, with heavily autotuned vocals accompanied by a faster beat.
“The Diner” closely mirrors Eilish’s past music, embodying the eerie, sinister vibe of her first album, “When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?” In stark contrast to the romantic and sad themes from the other tracks, “The Diner” narrates the thoughts of a delusional stalker. The tuneful melody very realistically mimics the music of a diner, ominously.
Featuring several more drastic transitions, “Bittersuite” blends rhythms and noises that muffle Eilish’s vocals. “Blue” is a mix of two of Eilish’s unreleased tracks — “Born Blue” and “True Blue” — with lyrics that cleverly reference earlier songs on the album. The track shifts from its memorable melody to an ethereal theme, bringing the album’s emotionally rich experience to a finale.
Listening to “Hit Me Hard and Soft” is a deeply immersive experience. One might imagine this as the perfect album to listen to late at night in a dark, quiet, cozy room, dimly lit by blue LED lights.
The powerful blow from the rhythmic beats, the soft punch from the mellow vocals, and the compelling strike from the passionate lyrics from Eilish’s most recent album hit many listeners hard and soft.
