This is one of the most anticipated album releases of the year, which puts a lot of pressure on a woman who has faced so much criticism and scrutiny over the past two years.
But there’s no reason to doubt Billie Eilishit turns out that for not being a victim of the dreaded “second album syndrome,” Happier than ever turned out to be a win that’s neither better nor worse than her debut When We All Sleep Well, Where Do We Go?but simply a brave new direction.
With the opening song Getting older and older, we heard a more subtle, but simpler sound. The nuances of Billie’s emotional voice are clearer than ever, almost like she’s streaming directly into our ears. But more than that, it reflects a painfully authentic artist, reflecting her youth in a way too many of us no longer have the courage to try.
That hole continues with songs like Halley’s Cometsome simple piano with balladic guitar sounds and a retro, distorted piece at the end; Your strength, a quiet acoustic tone that confesses to the extent to which she was taken advantage of in her youth; and Fantasy malea nation whose taste laments about love persists even when it’s clearly fake.
But when she lets herself be in these moments, she shows a more confident and strong side about I didn’t change my number; a percussion track that shows her vocals at their sexiest, mixing lounge singer vibes with shrill electroacoustics. It shows that while Happier than ever is a departure from When we all fell asleep…it’s still a Billie Eilish x Finneas creation.
Cause is lost is a low-y soft rock number that exudes more confidence and inner strength, but for a song so popular, it’s strangely one of the more bland numbers on the album.
There’s a lot of optimism here; My future is a love song for herself – Billie’s voice is so pure here and it’s the first time we’ve enjoyed the quiet jazz-pop we’ve got Happier than ever.
But while her positivity is clear, she’s not afraid to complain about the trials and tribulations of fame. OverHeated there was an eerie monotony as she reflected on that surreal moment when the paparazzi captured her in a tank top, while NDA is a nasty figure that crosses rock territory with singing club elements. It’s a bit all over the place but what it does is transitions beautifully on the next song, Therefore IThis is the most contagious track on the album.
It may shock many people who still see Billie as a pure 15 year old boy behind Ocean eyesbut she’s not shy about talking about her sexuality as a 19-year-old woman who isn’t shy about wearing a corset and stockings for the cover of Vogue.
Billie Bossa Nova there’s a familiar tune that pleases songs like ilomilo and my strange lustbut with sexy lyrics about an affair in a hotel room, and things get even hotter and heavier Oxytocin. It’s an ethereal electro-pop track with evocative vocal reverberations that left us yearning for the dance floor and a surprise hit to the album.
Maturity vs When we all fell asleep… obvious when you look at songs such as GOLDEN WINGS. It opens with Enya-esque folk harmonies as Billie sings an English translation of a Hindu hymn, before stammering to a scattered rhythm, where she speaks from experience warning the “angels.” pristine of the world beware of those who want to tear them apart.
While we first heard the words “Happier than ever” on street one, Happier than ever as a great synopsis of the album both in sound (some of the almost blue-eyed souls turning into catchy pop-punk tunes is the kind of pairing that Billie Eilish and her brother Finneas are experts at) and lyrics (it’s a lamenting breakup expressing the hurt of losing a relationship while acknowledging the power of leaving someone at the expense of one’s own happiness).
It’s a process, but Billie Eilish It seems like she’s finally come into her own, figuring out how to be honest without sharing too much about her life, and removing the nave, angry teenage personality of her previous work.
There’s a certain raw honesty here – not marked by nuances and metaphors – with a talent that can be compared with the likes of Radiohead, Amy Winehouse and Lana Del Rey. There is every reason to worry that Happier than ever won’t live to the lofty heights of When we all fell asleep…but her increased fame and budget didn’t seem to spoil her new musical personality.
