Happier Than Ever / Billie Eilish / July 30, 2021
- Joshua Yoo
- Sep 21, 2021
- 1 min read
In a similar approach to nearly all of the music she creates, Billie Eilish aims to make no two songs the same, ever expanding her sonic palette and range of genres on her sophomore LP. With ‘Happier Than Ever,’ she continues to accomplish as such with inventive ideas and convincing enough execution, but at the cost of a sense of cohesion or unity.
As compared to the time of her debut, Billie is facing a whole different set of issues related to her identity, having to navigate the now immense level of stardom and the difficulties of privacy, image, and reputation that accompany it. She spills these thoughts soberly into her lyrics, detailing the dynamics of past cruel relationships (“Your Power”) or fears of mortality (“Everybody Dies”), all with an unshakeable air of somber reality yet captivating subtlety.
The journey from beginning to end is far from a connected ride, however. Gleaming, heavenly choral passages are jammed in between steamy techno club thumpers and bass-driven slow burners, without much rhyme or reason. The issue mostly arises in the decent amount of fluctuation in quality from track to track, not all consistently compelling.
Regardless of the musical routing, facing and digesting her artistry is as absorbing as it usually is. Billie Eilish still manages to deliver on her brand, the ingenuity that she and her brother continue to bring to the pop world.
Highlight(s): Therefore I Am, Halley’s Comet, Happier Than Ever, Oxytocin, my future, Your Power, Lost Cause
Lowlight(s): OverHeated, GOLDWING, NDA, Everybody Dies
SCORE: 6/10
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUQl6YcMalg
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