Billie Eilish – Hit Me Hard and Soft

[Love Plastic Love]

I am CRYING at this discussion, please keep on

[alexandria2001]

[Koochie]

flop era tho

[Wave.]

👀 curious to see the numbers.

[spiritboy]

I think she'll be more than fine.

[Snowbeast]

Jul 26, 2021 13:26:01 GMT -5 Koochie said:

flop era tho

Well, it isn’t Spotify…

[Koochie]

Jul 27, 2021 20:30:41 GMT -5 Snowbeast said:

Jul 26, 2021 13:26:01 GMT -5 Koochie said:

flop era tho

Well, it isn’t Spotify…

I asked

[adamalterlago]

Im actually excited for this album and I’m not even a Billie stan. I like the variety of genre she has released for this era. I can tell she’s a true artist - something about it feels authentic and IDGAF (unlike some of her peers who i won’t name). Outta all these pop girls to release music this summer - Olivia R, Lorde - Im bored and this is the one that feels like it’s taking risks. Numbers or not, you can’t deny artistry.

[nightshade]

Jul 27, 2021 20:34:45 GMT -5 Koochie said:

Jul 27, 2021 20:30:41 GMT -5 Snowbeast said:

Well, it isn’t Spotify…

I asked

You'll see. Lol

[𝕡𝕙𝕖𝕖𝕓𝕤]

I read some of the released lyrics off the new record and wow….she is NOT happy lol. It’s some sad shit

[Deleted]

According to an ATRL user who went to the listening party in New Zealand....

SPOILER: Click to show

{Track Descriptions}
Getting Older - cute introduction to the album, the intro kinda threw me off cause it starts just like Drive by Halsey actually one of my least favorite tracks on the album but it's still good, I like the melody and it's really chill and adorable - 7/10;


I Didn't Change My Number - whew, I loooove this - short & sweet. it's kinda giving "elevator music" in the best way possible, the melody once again is really cool and the production keeps you interested throughout the entire length of the song - 10/10;


Billie Bossa Nova - possibly my favorite track off of the entire record, the melody is gorgeous and it was stuck in my head after just one listen, this should've been the promo single at the very least. this is sooo ****ing smooth, I'm in love... - 10/10;


Oxytocin - oooh bitch. definitely THE bad guy of the album just like everyone else was predicting. it's exciting, it's so fresh, it's catchy, people are gonna love this one. the production is giving bad guy on steroids as well. I WANNA DO BAD THINGS TO YOU!!! 10/10


GOLDWING - first half of the track is purely echo'd, angelic vocals without any production in the background and then the second part comes with a heavy beat twisting the whole thing up with repeated vocals playing until the end of the track, I love it - 10/10


Halley's Comet - first ballad of the record, piano & and a mellow beat accompanying it, it's kind of giving Liability by Lorde melodically?, stunning outro - 8/10


Not My Responsibility - not much to say about this, it's just the tour interlude. might be a filler to some, it was annoying to me at first but with more listens I'm beginning to understand it's purpose on the album. won't rate this one due to the fact we've already had this for more than a year


OverHeated - NMR flows right into this, the instrumental is similar to the previous track, so you can get the idea of the sound, infectious melodies & catchy chorus, lowkey uptempo vibe - 9/10


Everybody Dies - second ballad of the record, gorgeous melody and vocal delivery, mellow beat with heavy, drowned-out synths - 10/10


Happier Than Ever - oh my ****ing God, don't even get me started on this one. as previously mentioned, starts off like a typical Billie ballad, then the second part comes and your jaw drops. lots of heavy, electric guitars, lots of screaming, truly her Poppy moment, the VOCALS, my GOD. we need her to sing her heart out like this more often. - 10/10


Male Fantasy - third ballad of the record, really lovely melody, it's kind of giving 8 but more mature and much more interesting, HTE should've been the album closer but this isn't a bad one either - 10/10

[jptexas]

Please, less whispering and more actual singing.

[Koochie]

Early reactions to the album seem to be very, very positive.

[Ryan]

Wow, this album is everything you would expect from her and more. Can't believe I'm saying this but it's actually better than her first album. Not everyone can overcome the enormous pressure that's put on her after the massive commercial and critical success of her first LP so I'm very impressed. This is like a Melodrama-level of triumphant return to me.

[Choco]

I was gonna look for the leak but I can also just wait eleven hours. Happy to read that it seems like the single selection was terrible and the project is good.

[born]

First listen review of Happier Than Ever.

1. Getting Older (7.5/10) | Twenty seconds in and I'm a fan. Lowkey sounds like it could be her poppiest song yet. Very appropriate opener

2. I Didn't Change My Number (7/10) | I'm not gonna talk about the first second that scared me halfway to- This direction sounds familiar. I don't know what it is I'm reminded of. Grower material.

3. Billie Bossa Nova (8/10) | So smooth and sensual. I like this one. So mature. Cocktail night tingz!

4. my future (7.5/10) | This sounds great following BBN. It's probably one of my least favorite songs by Billie but I guess it fits perfectly at this point of the album.

5. Oxytocin (7.5/10) | Girrrrl I've been waiting for this one... That direction is so unexpected wow. Very Timbaland x Danja! It's nice to dance to but nothing really sticks apart from the production. The melody is the exact opposite of hooky. I love hearing her belt/scream though!

6. GOLDWING (8/10) | Wait a second WHAT was that transition? We were in the club and now she's taking us to church? I like the production on this one.

7. Lost Cause (8.5/10) | Yeah this bops even harder as part of an album.

8. Halley's Comet (8/10) | Such a sweet little song. It's mainly piano, vocal + beat but it has some vintage country elements. Oh wait, she's changing it up. Never mind.

9. Not My Responsibility | I've always loved the production on this. It's a shame cause I won't play it a lot but I guess it's a nice interlude.

10. OverHeated (9/10) | This sounds promising... Might become my next favorite from the album. Yeah I love this. The production is insane and I love that it borrows elements from the NMR interlude.

11. Everybody Dies (8.5/10) | Strong bass-heavy ballad. The synths do sound drowned out. The music is close to that of the "everything i wanted" outro. So pleasing. It could've been the album closer as well.

12. Your Power (9.5/10) | Slowly becoming one of my favorite Billie songs. The guitar sounds beautiful, the harmonies are great and the melodies >>>

13. NDA (9.5/10) | Also one of my top favorites. I wouldn't be mad if this turns out to be the highlight of the album cause it's great, but I still wanted a killer new track.

14. Therefore I Am (8/10) | This one was sooo instant and it aged quite fast. I still enjoy it though. It was one of her safest bets (hit potential and all).

15. Happier Than Ever (9/10) | Here it is... the one everyone's looking out for. So far so good. The first half is good old Billie. Nice melodies and muffled production. Let's switch it up a little. Yeah it sounds so good. I've never heard her voice like this. The distortion does remind me of Mitski's "Your Best American Girl" but I'd say all in all, I get more piano rock vibes than everything. It does need a radio edit if they're going with this for the next single.

16. Male Fantasy (9/10) | Wow. Easily the most unexpected W of the album. Beautiful melodies & quiet production. This honestly shits on most of the album tracks.

---

First listen rating: 83/100
First album review: I'm one of the veeeery few people who think that the singles are actually stronger than the rest of the album. I had sky high expectations which weren't really met (judging from just one listen of the album). I'm definitely gonna have this on repeat though so I'm curious to see which tracks will grow on me and which will not.

[SHOOTER]

Eh. Maybe it'll grow on me but I'm not particularly moved either way. Billie Bossa Nova might be my favorite.

[kimberly]

Getting Older — pleasantly surprised with this. solid track, and a great opener.
I Didn't Change My Number — this does not sound like the Billie we're familiar with and I enjoy it. 
Billie Bossa Nova — probably my favorite of the new songs. super lounge-y.
my future — still boring. go stream CHIKA's version instead.
Oxytocin — this feels like it could be on Euphoria or Gossip Girl or something. it's fun, but I don't love the vocal production.
GOLDWING — issa skip.
Lost Cause — still don't care for this.
Halley's Comet — I got bored and stopped paying attention, and then it was over.
Not My Responsibility — isn't this her tour intermission? this is neither a song nor anything new. she makes points though.
OverHeated — this is good. aside from that uppercase "H" lol
Everybody Dies — meh. 
Your Power — my most played pre-release track. definitely into it.
NDA — this is a bop.
Therefore I Am — never got into this. and that didn't change now.
Happier Than Ever — this is solid, but probably won't return to it much. the second half goes on too long and I don't like what they did with her vocals.
Male Fantasy — this is along the lines of "Your Power" sonically, and I enjoy it a lot. 

overall, this isn't too different from her debut in terms of quality in my opinion. (I wasn't big on her debut, and I'm not too impressed by this either.) I think this record is more coherent than her last, and there are some more stripped back tracks here that I enjoy. 

I'm interested in seeing how the critical and commercial response turns out. definitely do not expect wwafa,wdwg levels of success, but curious nonetheless. 

[korbel16]

This album is bad lmao

[Hurricane Lee]

So excited to get this tomorrow!

[Mayman]

This is getting really good reviews, I'm so excited for this!

[SHOOTER]

Jul 29, 2021 20:00:26 GMT -5 Hurricane Lee said:

So excited to get this tomorrow!

You'll love it.

[Hurricane Lee]

Jul 29, 2021 22:30:56 GMT -5 SHOOTER said:

Jul 29, 2021 20:00:26 GMT -5 Hurricane Lee said:

So excited to get this tomorrow!

You'll love it.

Because I'm a trash person? :kii:

[SHOOTER]

Jul 29, 2021 22:32:03 GMT -5 Hurricane Lee said:

Jul 29, 2021 22:30:56 GMT -5 SHOOTER said:

You'll love it.

Because I'm a trash person?

[Mayman]

This is fantastic. She delivered with the album and there's not a single bad track. I'm going to keep listening to figure out my favs.

Also, Billie has 3 different playlists of the album on Spotify with different features. One is "Billie Mode", which is just the album with an introduction and this era's music videos on it, another is "Fan Mode" which is curated by Billie for the fans, while the third if "Lyric Mode" which has short interludes between each song with her discussing each song.

[Ryan]

STUDIO Kiwa Live Sesson - NDA & Billie Bossa Nova

[Mayman]

On second listen, my early favorites are:

Getting Older
I Didn'f Change My Number
Billie Bossa Nova
Oxytocin
GOLDWING
Happier Than Ever

I really like every song on the album though, she really delivered.

[SHOOTER]

For the vinyl heads.

[Rocky]

Over the past year - for some weird reason - I became convinced that I prefer her uptempo output and was ready for some higher tempo bops, but… Halley’s Comet is the best song on this album. 💀

[Choco]

It's alright. I don't think anything is outright bad and it flows well, even older releases like "my future" fight rit in. But there are way less standout tracks than the previous album (which felt like it could have easily had three more singles). I'll revisit it a few more times for sure. "Oxytocin" has a great production but I'm not huge on the vocals; the title track is the other one I thought was cool but it takes a long time to get going.