Album Review
HIT ME HARD AND SOFT
by Billie Eilish
Words By Trevor Myers // Photos from Print Issue #23
HIT ME HARD AND SOFT Album Art
As someone who has been listening to Billie Eilish since her first songs were released—yes, even “ocean eyes”—I was waiting with bated breath for the release of her 2024 album HIT ME HARD AND SOFT.
Even if you heard the snippets that had been circulating around social media, so much of the album was left unheard, thanks to Billie not releasing any singles. Listening to it from start to finish for the first time was quite surprising. I would say this album was well worth the wait.
“I put so much into this album and have never ever ever loved something more. We hope you enjoy it so much and I’ll see you on the other side.” – Billie Eilish on social media after the release of HIT ME HARD AND SOFT.
“SKINNY” starts the journey of the album quite softly sonically, but the subject matter and lyrics hit hard. If you thought “What Was I Made For?” was sad, buckle up for “SKINNY.” This song is a textbook Billie Eilish song in terms of instrumentation—but then the live orchestral accompaniment comes in at the last minute, and it’s something completely new.
Among many other things, this record is notable for having Billie’s first overtly sapphic anthem. In “LUNCH,” Billie explicitly says she can “eat that girl for lunch” and that she “dances” on her tongue – and eventually things get dancy when the beat drops and everything goes a little crazy.
Billie and her team pushed boundaries in terms of process and duration on this record. At this stage in her career, she’s definitely earned that right.
“CHIHIRO” is the first song on the album that is longer than five minutes and somehow feels both longer and shorter than five minutes at the same time, which is impressive. The production on this song is unlike anything we’ve heard from Billie Eilish before, and it’s the perfect song for late-night drives.
The album hits a point where sadness abounds. “WILDFLOWER” is beautiful and heart-wrenching. “THE GREATEST” is this album’s version of “Happier Than Ever”—with sad lyrics and a slower start of the song before intense guitar comes in and the song gets so much louder and more intense. But then “L’AMOUR DE MA VIE” floored me. To go from the previous song to this one, where she is so flippant and dismissive, is a complete 180. The song also goes into a completely new sonic direction of its own: upbeat club-like music.
One of the most intriguing bits of Billie Eilish lore is “BLUE.” It’s a combination of two previously unreleased Billie Eilish songs—which were titled “True Blue” and “Born Blue”—that were combined into one for the final track on HIT ME HARD AND SOFT. The songs were given new life, and this track is definitely one of my favorites.
Overall, I would say HIT ME HARD AND SOFT is Billie Eilish’s best album to date.
Not releasing any singles allowed fans to experience the album as a whole without already knowing the words to complete songs. All 10 songs are so unique and captivating. The album is neither too short, nor too long; too hard nor too soft. It’s just right. Give it a listen.
