Courtesy of Interscope Records

Billie Eilish displays the gatefold jacket for the vinyl of “HIT ME HARD AND SOFT.”

“HIT ME HARD AND SOFT” has been released as Billie Eilish’s third studio album being Eilish’s most daring album out of the bunch. HIT ME HARD AND SOFT speaks about multiple scenarios and events surrounding Eilish’s life as she evolves into one of the most talented contemporary-pop artists in the industry.

The album highlights many themes revolving around Eilish’s life, with the first song, “SKINNY,” reflecting on her insecurities. Noticeably through the ten tracks, there is a pattern of songwriting; Eilish and her producer, FINNEAS, have a particular way of connecting tracks and making them stick. In an interview with Alt 98.7 and iHeartMedia, Eilish goes in-depth about the songwriting process. “We had like pieces of stuff. Funnily enough, [‘LUNCH’] was the first song that we wrote in full. We had ideas of stuff and the verse of ‘CHIHIRO’ and the chorus of ‘LUNCH’ and a verse of ‘BITTERSUITE,’ but nothing was real and it didn’t feel.” Eilish exclaimed. “We didn’t really know what we were gonna use, and then we wrote all of ‘SKINNY’ and that’s like the first full song that we wrote. As soon as we wrote it, we were like “Yeah, that’s the opening track.”

“SKINNY” is a heart-wrenching song that has audiences across the world sitting and truly connecting to the artist, and the song. Eilish explains the feeling of being in love for the first time, additionally being truly happy amid love too. Furthermore, in late November, Eilish had an interview with Variety in which she openly came out as not only being a lover of men but women as well. “SKINNY” has the main theme of being comfortable with one’s body image, and being open to your sexuality, and Eilish has a beautiful way of representing that all in one song.

“LUNCH” is notably Eilish’s boldest song on the album. Eilish speaks about her experiences of falling in love with a woman for the first time, pairing the music video for “LUNCH” with it as well. “LUNCH” has been roaming around social media for a while, with it first being previewed at Billie’s set for Coachella 2024. Since then, “LUNCH” has been a long-awaited track for a while now.

Although “LUNCH” has a more erotic message to the song, “CHIHIRO” gives a soothing ambiance to it. “CHIHIRO” is a reference to the 荻野千尋 (Chihiro “Sen” Ogino) of “Spirited Away,” an award-winning film made by Studio Ghibli. “Spirited Away” is about a girl, Chihiro, who faces her fears by grasping a full understanding and respect for life itself. Purposefully, “Spirited Away” is one of Eilish’s favorite films, as mentioned in an interview with VICE back in 2019.

“BIRDS OF A FEATHER” was originally teased by Netflix in the Season 3 trailer for “Heartstopper.” In “BIRDS OF A FEATHER,” the obvious theme of the song is love. Eilish runs over this song by exclaiming her attachment to the opposite person, even after death. “BIRDS OF A FEATHER” is definitely enough to make someone cry, with Eilish’s vocals flowing through the song, offering a soft feeling to the song. Although this is a love song, interpretations may vary depending on the listener. “BIRDS OF A FEATHER” is one of the strongest tracks that resonates on HIT ME HARD AND SOFT, truly showing the development of Eilish’s production team and her vocals alone.

Jumping from the fourth track to the seventh, “L’AMOUR DE MA VIE” speaks about the mediocre love between Eilish, and her ex-partner. Eilish levitates over the gentle instrumental, as she goes in-depth about the experiences and hardships of the relationship. “L’AMOUR DE MA VIE” means “love of my life” in French, which is the most prominent lyric provided within the song. The middle of “L’AMOUR DE MA VIE” offers a complete turnaround from the beginning of the track, as the second half is entered with a retro performance. Eilish alters her voice in this half, still providing tough lyrics that resonate with listeners.

“HIT ME HARD AND SOFT” clearly presents the retrospective of different effects of love, shaping everything from heartbreak to pure romance. Billie Eilish perfects the ability to transform the feeling of human emotions and dumping it all into a small closed album, grabbing various amounts of experimental aspects as well. Billie Eilish released an astonishing cohesive album, deserving all the praise and applause for “HIT ME HARD AND SOFT,” leaving fans closely watching streaming platforms for a potential deluxe.