The summer of 2024 has been a significant period for music in the 2020s. Many of the world’s top pop stars released their highly anticipated albums, with “brat summer” taking over following the release of Charli xcx’s album “BRAT,” and Sabrina Carpenter rising in popularity with a career breakthrough for the ages. Billie Eilish’s third studio album, “HIT ME HARD AND SOFT,” stood out for its songwriting, impeccable vocal performances and uniqueness within the musical production.
“HIT ME HARD AND SOFT” consists of 10 tracks that span just over 40 minutes in total. Unlike her other projects, Billie Eilish decided not to release any singles in the lead-up to the album release. The lead single, “LUNCH,” along with the music video, were released on May 17 (the same day as the album release) where the track detailed her exploration of same-gender attraction. “LUNCH” became Billie Eilish’s first song publicly confirming her queerness after years of speculation.
“LUNCH” instantly became a hit, debuting and peaking at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100, largely because of its catchiness and descriptive lyricism. Another track quickly rose to prominence after the album release.
“BIRDS OF A FEATHER,” the fourth track on the album, became a consistent presence in the mainstream, ultimately becoming Billie Eilish’s biggest hit of her career thus far. Ever since the album was released, “BIRDS OF A FEATHER” has steadily climbed every chart imaginable. Its biggest week came after she performed the song for the 2024 Summer Olympics closing ceremony, in which it not only reached the top five on the Hot 100, but also took the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Global 200, marking it as Billie Eilish’s first global No. 1 hit.
“BIRDS OF A FEATHER” is everything you could ever ask for in a song: a simply perfect blend of impactful songwriting and a vocal performance that will undoubtedly follow the rest of Billie Eilish’s career. The song dives hard into the desire for deep love and an everlasting connection. It is an emotional track that has seemingly had a chokehold over any and all music enjoyers throughout the summer. The praise for the song is justified, and it has cemented itself as a frontrunner to win Song of the Year at next year’s Grammy Awards.
Outside of the successful singles, the rest of the album is nothing to scoff at. “CHIHIRO” peaked just outside the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 and can be summarized as a riveting song with stellar production and storytelling. The song is loosely based on the animated film “Spirited Away,” with its music video being heavily influenced by the movie as well. “CHIHIRO” is the first of three songs on the album that last five minutes.
The order of the album enhances the overall listening experience of the record. The transition from “WILDFLOWER” to “THE GREATEST” to “L’AMOUR DE MA VIE” is arguably the best three-track run across all Billie Eilish’s albums. All three are slower songs that gain momentum with hard vocals and instrumentals that make it stand alone.
If Billie Eilish had another song to choose from the record to be a single, “WILDFLOWER” would be the top choice. Not only has she constantly promoted the song as if it was a lead single, but she even included “WILDFLOWER” in an acoustic special hyping up the album after its release. Billie Eilish clearly adores this track and deservingly so. It is a beautiful piece that details the ups and downs of relationships, with Billie Eilish even blaming herself for the downs. This track should be treated with even more love and attraction than it already has received.
“THE GREATEST” is a personal favorite that pulls the audience in more ways than one. It’s sentimental and passionate and is the closest call-back to Billie Eilish’s previous hit single, “Happier Than Ever.” Meanwhile, “L’AMOUR DE MA VIE” is an underrated and fascinating song that consists of two parts that transition to a softer touch with her vocals.
It would be neglectful to not mention the opening track of the album, “SKINNY.” The song is more of a palate cleanser from her previous albums, preparing the listener for the themes and styles that are going to be explored throughout the rest of the album. Billie Eilish’s most unique song as far as production and instrumentation goes is “THE DINER,” a creepy masterpiece that is most reminiscent of her debut album due to its dark and eerie approach. This is fitting, as “THE DINER” focuses on obsession and the struggles of being in the limelight.
The final two numbers on the album go hand in hand. “BITTERSUITE” and “BLUE” smoothly transition from one to the other in what was the most ideal way to end the album. “BITTERSUITE” is not as standout as the others because a good chunk of the song focuses on its melodies, but, being another successful track, “BLUE” helps to support “BITTERSUITE.”
“BLUE” has long been a song that fans have been waiting for Billie Eilish to release. It is a stereotypical but great way to close out what is her, overall, best album to date.
“HIT ME HARD AND SOFT” was written by Billie Eilish and her brother FINNEAS. This record showed once again why this duo cannot be ignored in how consistently they deliver their impeccable talent when it comes to songwriting and production. While the album may have been just shy of hitting No. 1, there is no question that “HIT ME HARD AND SOFT” is in contention for Album of the Year in 2025.
