Billie Eilish released her third studio album “HIT ME HARD AND SOFT” May 17. This is her most experimental album thematically and production-wise. She played with various genres, new kinds of production techniques and vocal runs that will make the hair on your neck stand up. Additionally, this is her most honest and real album yet. She did not hold back from talking about her mental health, sexual identity and raw emotion. Eilish laid it all out on the table and let the listeners just absorb it.

This album truly showcases her talent and her strongest vocal areas. Her brother and producer of “HMHAS” Finneas O’Connell showed his range on this record as well. He always knows when to crank up the production on songs that aren’t lyric heavy, and when to lay back on the production letting the lyrics speak for themselves. I am going to point out my favorite tracks from this album and highlight stand-out lyrics.

The opening track “SKINNY” shocked me when I first listened. I was surprised that a slower, more vulnerable song was the opener rather than a hard-hitter. By the end of the album and learning the themes of the record, I completely understood why she chose that song for the opener. The simple production with the chilling slide guitar was utterly perfect for such a vulnerable song. The reflection of “SKINNY” being the opening track and “Getting Older” being the opening track on her previous album “Happier Than Ever” is so genius. 

Both songs show Billie’s insecurities about her body and aging. The lyrics in the second verse describe her fear of being in the public eye.

 “Am I acting my age now? Am I already on the way out? When I step off the stage, I’m a bird in a cage/I’m a dog in a dog pound… / And the internet is hungry for the meanest kind of funny / And somebody’s gotta feed it,” Eilish sings.

The instrumental in the outro was interpolated from “THE GREATEST” and is repeated in the final track “BLUE.” The motif of strings and the same violin arrangement playing throughout the album make this Eilish’s most cohesive album yet.

“CHIHIRO” is a perfect example of experimenting on this album. O’Connell added spacial synths that reverberate through your ears with an additional piano progression. Towards the end of the song, he added some groovy Tame Impala-inspired bass and synth mixture with an addicting hi-hat. Eilish’s vocals in this track are other-worldly with O’Connell in the backing track. The mixture of perfect vocals and incredibly well-executed production is the reason this is my favorite song on the album.

My second favorite off of the record is “WILDFLOWER.” Somehow the most minimalist song on the record is one of my favorites. The track is a simple acoustic guitar and drum pattern but with angelic vocals and vulnerable lyrics. “WILDFLOWER” is allegedly about her relationships with singer/songwriter Jesse Rutherford and influencer Devon Carlson. The song is about comforting a friend who is going through a breakup, and then turning around and dating the person that broke your friend’s heart. This song goes through the guilt that Eilish faced after the relationship ended, and how she crossed a line in her friendship. 

The sixth track “THE GREATEST” is in my top three favorite Billie Eilish songs. The song starts as a nice acoustic track, and then picks up rapidly post-chorus. The raw emotion displayed in this song makes it such a dynamic listen. The pure desperation in her voice with the strings in the background elevates this record so much. O’Connell deserves multiple accolades for this song alone with the crashing guitar and plucking pattern. 

“BLUE” is a song loyal fans of Eilish have been waiting to be released for a few years. The beginning of the song, revealed to be her leaked 2022 demo “True Blue,” shocked fans everywhere. The call-backs in her lyrics to the previous tracks are similar to the final song “goodbye” in her debut album “WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP WHERE DO WE GO?” The production on part one is very simple and almost identical to the demo. Part two is my favorite part of the track because of the staggering lyrics and airy production style. O’Connell deciding to alter Eilish’s voice in the outro of the song was a great choice and made the track that more dominating. 

“HMHAS” was a pandemonium of different emotions, genres and production from Eilish and O’Connell. There are rumors of this becoming a double-album but there has been nothing confirming it. I am among the many ecstatic fans who are anticipating what’s next from her and what her upcoming world tour has in store.