BATTLE OF THE BEATS #1: “HIT ME HARD AND SOFT” Ate 2024 Up For Lunch

Billie Eilish entered the global pop scene with quite a bang after releasing her groundbreaking debut album “When We All Fall Asleep Where Do We Go”. Working closely with her brilliant producer, solo artist, and brother, Finneas, the duo have proven music to be their sixth sense. A whirlwind of new recognition overtook Eilish, who often speaks of feeling confined by public perception. This internal conflict played an obvious role in creating “Happier Than Ever”. The second studio album did not supersede Billie’s first album, though its experimentalism paved the way for the very young adult to find herself musically. Billie has broken many records and is decorated with achievements, having won 9 Grammys and 2 Oscars. This year, she returns with another album: “Hit Me Hard and Soft”. 2024 is undoubtedly an iconic year for music but Eilish’s newest album stands alone in lyricism, production, and lasting cultural impact.

Billie grabs your hand and pulls you underwater, achieving remarkable vulnerability in this piece with her jarringly tender words. The track focuses on the young woman navigating a treacherous journey to self-love and acceptance. The added weight of Billie Eilish’s monster-sized public platform personalizes this piece, earning commendable reliability behind Eilish’s artistic intent. Despite the rare fame Eilish refers to throughout this masterpiece, many verses also offer comfort to anyone grappling with self-doubt. Refusing any suggestion that her soul is worn by her stature, Billie shows love to her former self, and ponders how much of her identity has been suppressed while undergoing mental changes connected to becoming “skinny”.

Eilish conceptualizes the harrowing influence society holds over identity; feeling like a dog in a pound or a bird in a cage when off-stage may have resulted from Billie’s unique lifestyle but it can also connected to the general pressure of masquerading a role while striving for acceptance and affirmation. The message is timeless and its delivery–from production to lyrics to vocals— suits the general theme of this album. Billie shares her fear of sinking, but her defiant tone proves she will keep kicking until you both reach the surface.

The intentionally ironic title “LUNCH” takes a sharp left turn from the opener. Both catchy and sexy, the song starts with a spitting drumbeat phonetically similar to beatboxing followed by a rough bassline, a playful melody on the keyboard, and a dirty guitar riff; towards the chorus, the guitar slides are reminiscent of what you might hear in an old western. All production puzzle pieces fall in place perfectly and this track offers a beat well worth dancing to, especially towards the end of the track where the sound really lets loose.

“CHIHIRO”, manifested by Billie’s love for the Miyazaki film titled “Spirited Away”, reverts to the artsy and edgier tendencies of this album with a snap. A groovy bassline, a snazzy drumbeat, and a light keyboard melody hold hands with Eilish’s soft vocals. This song stands out from Billie’s discography with an ethereal bridge, where a whirling dissolution of melody takes place as listeners dive underwater, peacefully sinking like Billie on the album’s cover. This song, with clear inspiration from progressive R&B and Techno-house, manages to be heavenly funky thanks to Billie and Finneas’ masterful and inspiring abilities in blending genres.

“CHIHIRO” blends sounds and worlds. There are clear lyrical references to “Spirited Away” with verses like “Saw your seat at the counter when I looked away/Saw you turn around, but it wasn't your face”. Here, Eilish is concretely alluding to a scene where protagonist Chihiro’s parents transform into pigs while turning to face her from a kitchen counter. The latter level refers to realizing toxicity in a crumbling romantic relationship due to a partner holding muddy intentions. The fusion works like a charm–Eilish feels powerless, similarly to a child like Chihiro, a character she discovered during her childhood. Billie does not define the dynamic behind this relationship but she does express her anxious desire to be proven wrong about her partner’s disregard of the connection, singing “wringing my hands in my lap” in the post-chorus. The undeniably cool clash of universes, both musically and lyrically, is nostalgic to tracks from “WWAFAWDWG” but delivers a more mature and well-rounded approach: Billie always has something new to offer.

Billie cracked the secret code behind success once more with “BIRDS OF A FEATHER”. Classically pop in sound, this gentle beast has taken over the world, airing on a trailer for the popular Netflix series “Heartstopper” and hitting number one on multiple charts shortly after Billie’s performance for the Olympics closing ceremony. With a cutesy melody on the keyboard and guitar plus a playful drumbeat, this song is an absolute pleasure to listen to. Billie also uses the passion behind this track to flatten skeptical critics, letting out one of several belts on the record. The formula behind “BIRDS OF A FEATHER” works, with careful and perhaps overlooked details elevating this song, which moves listeners to hit the repeat button.

Creating an innocent and traditional love song was what Eilish herself set as her original intention. “BIRDS OF A FEATHER” had other plans, with Billie’s trademark darker undertones bleeding into the lyrics. The song could strike listeners as quite morbid with Billie fixating upon “till death do us part”. Verses repeatedly center around both the unclear longevity behind life itself and the gruesome reality of death, with lyrics referencing the loss of light in one’s eyes and rotting underground. This song is authentically Billie, who has often tackled subjects like death and publicly grappled with the heavier aspects of being in love. Innocent puppy love isn’t transcended by the track’s deadly implications alone but also by characterizing a more grown-up romance: Billie flatters her partner in this song while rejecting oversaturated insecurity and self-doubt. She serves a healthy dose of tough love when she tells her lover “You’re so full of shit”, urging them to not quit their professional pursuits. With loving lines like “I knew you in another life/ You had that same look in your eyes/ I love you don’t act so surprised”, “BIRDS OF A FEATHER” offers a healthy perspective on accepting mortality and promotes a more realistic and approachable form of committed love.

“WILDFLOWER” has spread like wildfire, devastating women everywhere since the album’s release. The mellow track is characterized by a stretched melodic climax to accompany increasing thematic heaviness; this track begins with rain, footsteps, and echoey vocals before tearing you open with agonizing adlibs and burning belts–much like the growing fever Eilish felt inside her while writing this song. The song ultimately concludes by lowering the volume and turning up the echo, giving the singer the not-so-rare chance to remind listeners of her gift in hauntingly angelic singing.

This track is the spillage of bottled-up emotions. Eilish is fully resigned from the relationship she sings about, telling her lover “We don’t have to fight/ When it’s not worth fighting for”. She confesses how desperate she was to reap the deserved fruits of her “love and patience” and describes how her former partner left her to hang dry. Referring to herself as “the greatest” holds layered meaning: the singer is aware of her gigantic professional success but mourns the enormous effort it took for one person to entertain seeing her “naked”. Despite the turmoil, the singer is kind to herself, acknowledging the sacrifices she made for love that should have been effortlessly returned as she “waited and waited”.

Billie roleplays as a maniacal stalker “waitin’ on your block”. The lyrics follow how obsession accelerates from territorial infatuation to impulsive aggression, with lines like “I saw you in the car with someone else and couldn’t sleep/ If somethin’ happens to him, you can bet that it was me”. Eilish herself is not unfamiliar to stalkers, and the Los Angeles Times reported on an eerily similar situation tied to the singer after she filed a restraining order against a stalker, where legal documents recorded her stating that she had received countless “disturbing professions of love to me and other disturbing, violent threats against my brother Finneas Baird O’Connell.” This track seemed to liberate the singer of these experiences, with Billie sharing that she enjoys playing this character while singing “THE DINER”. Eilish is not the only public figure who has faced distressing harassment and parasocial behavior and discussing these themes more openly serves in favor of changing the relationship between fan and artist.

As the album unfortunately ends, “BITTERSUITE” and “BLUE” wraps “HIT ME HARD AND SOFT” up with a bow. “BITTERSUITE” can be split into quarters, opening with goosebump-inducing hazy synths that give listeners the sensation of being whisked away once more. The second quarter of this song stands out with a grungy bass and anxious lyrics that unwillingly anticipate a new love forming before quickly transcending into the third quarter, where Billie plunges underwater–and falls helplessly in love–again. This section of the track and the first third of “BLUE” is also special to long-term fans of the singer, who would recognize references to all previous songs on the record, similar to the final track of “WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP WHERE DO WE GO” and concert closer “goodbye”. After setting the previous melody on fire, the final quarter of “BITTERSUITE” plays the melody of the following and final track “BLUE” on ultra-reverbed keyboard notes.

Still in Billie’s ocean–but with a stimulating drumbeat–”BLUE” retrospectively evaluates the individual personalities behind a failed relationship. Billie begins first by looking back on the relationship as a whole and acknowledges the connection could survive, despite still holding onto her old feelings; trying to live in black and white (seeking rationality) while being overcome by blueness (heartbreak).

After being thoroughly drenched by “HIT ME HARD AND SOFT”, the world can fully admire Billie’s superpowers for the 3rd time. Billie Eilish continues to hold onto her crown with her third studio album and has greatly impressed critics across the board. This record has resonated with Eilish’s audience, attracting listeners from anywhere on Earth and making its mighty mark in musical history. There is much to applaud from musical and cultural standpoints, as “HIT ME HARD AND SOFT” is equally versatile in themes and sounds. The singer has started to tour the album in North America, flexing her record’s success with sold-out shows (most impressively 3 in Madison Square Garden) with some casual stops in between; like being invited on SNL as a musical guest for the fourth time in her career. This album is overwhelming in greatness and accompanies a maturing audience into young adulthood. This will certainly not be Billie’s final album and fans are only left hungry for more, hoping there will be a surprise twist and theorizing about a “double album”. Whether Eilish has any intentions of turning a theory into fact, one can only applaud the singer and her brother for releasing such a monumental masterpiece: Bravo!

Read about the second contender of the Battle of the Beats "Charli XCX" here.

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PHOTOS BY Ama Wick (awickart)