This is the 2nd studio album from LA pop phenom, Billie Eilish. She got her start on Soundcloud with production from her brother, Finneas, got lots of attention, dropped an EP with ocean eyes, one of my favourite Billie Eilish songs, and then she finally dropped her first album, When We All Fall Asleep Where Do We Go in 2019. The album was a massive success with braggadocious bangers that were balanced by emotionally vulnerable, slow songs. She won a bunch of Grammy’s, broke a bunch of records, and broke a glass ceiling or two. This album skyrocketed her from Soundcloud songwriter to the biggest star in the world. This meteoric rise in a short amount of time definitely had a profound, negative effect on Billie. I mean, how would you feel if you were 16 and you became the biggest pop star in the world in a matter of let’s say 3 years? I would be exhausted too. This stress was really the impetus of this album. Meanwhile, I kept up to date on the happenings of Billie Eilish because the music gods compelled me to do so (and I have a bit of a crush on her). Even if they didn’t, I really couldn’t escape her if I tried. This album has not one, but TWO movies on TWO different streaming platforms encircling it, one released before and one after. Beyond that, I was really impressed by her 2017 EP and her first album. The album was where I thought was the point where Billie Eilish found her niche and sound way earlier than her contemporaries would. When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go was my favourite album of 2019 until I discovered black midi’s Schlagenheim earlier this year. Sucks to be overshadowed, but Billie had a good year or so, so I kept tabs on her work. Also, my sister really wanted me to, she’s a big fan of hers.
I’m happy to report that Happier Than Ever is Billie Eilish’s best record. It’s close to When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go, but this new album has a humanity to it that the previous didn’t have as much of. Mixing sounds pretty nice, which isn’t a surprise from Finneas. Drums and bass sound nice and clean most of the time and this record has a warm sound. While this album has fewer bells and whistles than its predecessors from an effects standpoint, I feel like there is still adequate flash to accentuate the feeling of each song. Speaking of feeling, the instruments have a lot of it this time around. The beats are expertly crafted by sub-bass, synths and drums creating a digital, yet warm and full sound. In the analog world, bass and drums also show up really nicely, but the guitars stole the show. I found album structure really put a damper on this album’s strengths on account of how scattered it was outside of a few well-placed transitions. But to this album’s credit, it’s not easy to do given that song structure is a lot more diverse this time around with everything from typical pop songs to spoken word pieces to the title track, which is a multi-movement song that could be up there with Bohemian Rhapsody and Jesus of Suburbia (yeah, it’s that good!) (We’ll see if it holds up come 2030, but for now, I love it.) Billie Eilish’s vocals are similar to the quiet singing from When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go, but with a newfound confidence. This translates into her most emotionally charged performance yet and it really hooked me in and never let go. Then there’s the lyrics, which as I mentioned, aren’t the most cohesive thing in the world, but Billie’s songwriting is better than ever on Happier Than Ever. She bounces between the two concepts that negatively affected her mental health the most: her quick rise to fame and her abusive ex-boyfriend. These songs are more focussed and are some of the most powerful songs that Billie Eilish has ever written. This album is personal in a way that I don’t think Billie Eilish has never been before. Happier Than Ever is and confident and focussed, and an unflinchingly, uncomfortably honest record, and I think a lot of people will appreciate this album on account of that alone. There were points on this album that really struck a chord with me personally and I love it when music does that. While it’s not perfect, it’s a noticeable improvement, and an achievement for Billie Eilish’s career. She could be onto something here.
I’m giving this one a Decent 8/10.
FAVOURITE TRACKS: Getting Older, I Didn’t Change My Number, Billie Bossa Nova, my future, Oxytocin, Lost Cause, Halley’s Comet, Not My Responsibility, OverHeated, Your Power, Therefore I Am, Happier Than Ever, Male Fantasy
LEAST FAVOURITE TRACK: GOLDWING
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