Billie Eilish is an American singer and songwriter who has been widely known since 2015 when she dropped her debut single “Ocean Eyes” which was written by her brother Finneas O’Connell. On May 17th, 2024, she dropped her third album, which mainly focuses on falling out of love with a narcissist and falling in love with a woman for the first time. HIT ME HARD AND SOFT was chosen as the name, she thought the idea was “a really good way to describe me, and I love that it’s not possible.” The HMHAS album has 10 songs all following this basic premise but each unique. The top three songs are “CHIHIRO,” “LUNCH,” and “SKINNY.” “CHIHIRO” was named after a protagonist from the film “Spirited Away,” and the song contains many references to the movie. “LUNCH” was a way for Billie to explore her own queerness. Billie revealed that writing the upbeat song helped her come to terms with her sexuality and understand herself better. The album opener, “SKINNY,” was made to hone in on self-image as well as how others perceive her.

Her other songs are equally enchanting. “BIRDS OF A FEATHER” is another popular listen; it was originally teased in a Netflix drama called “Heartstopper.” The song is about having common interests and falling in love until death. “L’AMOUR DE MA VIE” translates to “love of my life.” The song contradicts the title and is about Billie confessing she lied when she called this person the love of her life. Her guilt about these feelings kept her around longer than it should have, only to have this person move on immediately after the breakup. “THE DINER,” which is one of my personal favorites, is quite similar to her older song “Bad Guy.” The song is slightly sinister and carnival-esque, and the track is told from the perspective of a stalker. “BLUE” is a reference to “BIRDS OF A FEATHER” and serves as the album’s ending. It follows a realization that she and her lover weren’t that similar after all. “WILDFLOWER” is about the narrator being wrapped up in a messy love triangle. “THE GREATEST,” which I also quite like, has similarities to her song “No Time To Die.” The song is about her desperate, frugal attempt at trying to get the same effort from her partner that she puts in. And finally, “BITTERSUITE,” which is almost five minutes long, sees her taking a look at herself and wondering how to bridge the gap between her desires and her real life.

I absolutely love Billie’s new album and I think her and her brother did an incredible job. Her music is truly unique and I love how it is able to invoke emotion. I hope she continues to expand her talent and continues to create amazing music.