Review by Andrew Myers
Four stars
The almost overnight success of 17-year-old Billie Eilish has been dizzying. She’s become the alternative music princess with her unique style of wearing dad-sized, baggy clothes with her library of melancholic tunes.
Bad Guy is the opening single with snarky lyrics including, “My mommy likes to sing along with me, but she won’t sing this song if she reads all the lyrics. She’ll pity the men I know,” and the last 40 seconds are nothing but a throbbing bass behemoth.
Xanny has Billie crooning over a simple beat with luscious lounge music melodies. The hit song You Should See Me In A Crown is made to be a live staple with the rattling bass and sing along chorus. Wish You Were Gay is a laid-back acoustic anthem that follows the same musical route as idontwannabeyouanymore from Eilish’s 2017 EP don’t smile at me.
When The Party’s Over is a heartbreaking tune that moulds together like a prime Lana Del Rey song. 8 has a peculiar vocal delivery and stomp-clap beat. Early 2000s R&B beats, sensual lyrics and multiple soundbites from The Office (USA) build My Strange Addiction into one of Eilish’s catchiest offerings.
Arguably the album’s most successful song, Bury A Friend, has elements of horror and catchy, rattling instruments. Listen Before I Go is a piano ballad that is reminiscent of an earlier song, bitches broken hearts, from 2017.
This debut is both dreary and upbeat, layered with self-deprecating party anthems. Her music is in the vein of Marina and the Diamonds, Lorde or Skye Ferreira. This young artist is still finding her impressive sound and what she does next will be awe inspiring.
One thought on “[Album Review] Billie Eilish – ‘When We All Fall Asleep Where Do We Go?’”