By Richard Li '24
"When I’m away from you/I’m happier than ever,” are Billie Eilish’s first lyrics in the title track to her sophomore album. The title “Happier Than Ever” contrasts sharply with her existing public image as an embodiment of “teenage weirdness,” releasing “macabre, melancholy pop,” while the lyrics above suggest a continuation of the haunting, sad vibe of her previous music. With her debut 2019 album “WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO?” winning a history-making five Grammy awards, highly anticipated would be an understatement to describe Billie’s “Happier Than Ever.” Given her fresh presence as a pop symbol and the rapid evolution of her image in the years leading up, the album was undoubtedly expected as a response to and reflection on her fame.
Billie Eilish performs at the Xcel Energy Center in 2022. By erintheredmc - https://www.flickr.com/photos/7979599@N05/52770814328/, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=130001896
She delivers exactly that on “Getting Older,” the album’s first track. One of my favorites from her entire discography, the candid commentary discusses her experience with stardom and how public attention has changed her. Sonically and topically, it reminds heavily of Justin Bieber’s “Lonely,” a similar account of premature fame composed in hindsight. The song peaks with a gut-wrenching assertion on the fleeting nature of passion: “Things I once enjoyed/Just keep me employed now/Things I’m longing for/Someday, I’ll be bored of.” Subtle harmonies accompany Billie’s silky vocal expression, delivering the raw emotion that characterizes her best music. Her verses then shift to personal growth on “admitting when I’m wrong” and “[prioritizing] my pleasure.” Despite being a bit eclectic at times, the track aptly balances self-reflection with universal themes, opening the album with a narrative masterpiece.
The second track, “I Didn’t Change My Number,” joins with “Lost Cause” and “Therefore I Am” as additions to her collection of heavily produced songs that include “COPYCAT,” the well-known “Bad Guy,” and “You Should See Me In A Crown.” Billie’s brother and collaborator, Finneas O’Connell, weaves in unique (and perhaps off-putting) elements including an ultra-distorted growl in “I Didn’t Change My Number” and manages to capture each song’s character exceptionally well. “Therefore I Am” is an attempt at a “Bad Guy” parallel, with catchy verses like “You think that you’re the man/I think, therefore, I am”—clearly the album’s epitome of silly, carefree energy.
"Therefore I Am" music video
The lead single, “My Future,” expresses Billie’s sense of hope for what’s to come in life and her impending maturity. The track has a two-part layout, the first sounding very ambient and the second being percussive and upbeat. Measured against similar songs of hers like “Getting Older,” “Xanny” from her debut album, and the recent Grammy-winning single “What Was I Made For?”, the songwriting on “My Future” lacks the depth that I would expect from the sibling duo and fails to elicit much emotion beyond the first listen. Finneas’ insertion of captivating harmonies at several points rescues it from complete banality. But considered in a vacuum, “My Future” still deserves praise for its attempt at innovation.
With the next track, “Oxytocin,” Billie ventures into a vastly different subject. Referring to the hormone released during sex, the track features breathy vocals and extended echoes accompanied by sensual lyrics that capture an energetic anticipation and release. Finneas’ work on this track is experimental yet overall very coherent and outstanding. “Oxytocin” speaks to Billie’s ability to capture a range of subjects, which is increasingly harder to find with newly popular singer-songwriters. The experimentation amplifies with “GOLDWING,” which opens with an excessively long choir segment and fades into a loop that duets with Billie’s voice. The sound design is a fun idea, but the message is too unspecific for a song with such an unengaging introduction. The lyrics can literally be about anything—the siblings made something that sounds cool but never arrived at a solid creative vision.
Track eight is “Halley’s Comet,” a ballad that represents the pinnacle of superb Billie/Finneas songwriting. There is a magical, nostalgic, poignant quality to the production, and the chord progression is utterly beautiful. Billie faintly enters on a descending melody: “I don't want it/And I don't want to want you/But in my dreams, I seem to be more honest/And I must admit you've been in quite a few.” Notably, the song follows the nontraditional structure of four individual verses, bestowing the lyrics with a beautiful, fleeting touch. After the verses, the song makes a surprise transition as the notes slide down in pitch, inviting the listener into a space of dreamy, distorted warmth. She confesses: “I think I might have fallen in love/What am I to do?”, leaving the question unanswered as the chords freeze, unresolved. Easily one of her best works on the album, the track’s agonizing depiction of an all-consuming, hopeless longing rivals the lyrical caliber of some of Billie’s biggest songs including “idontwannabeyouanymore,” “When The Party’s Over” and “I Love You.”
Billie Eilish and Finneas perform at the O2 Arena in 2022. By Raph_PH - BillieEilishO2160622 (44 of 45) (archived version), CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=119390985
“Not My Responsibility” is a spoken-word piece addressing body shaming and online hate. Its message is powerful but I don’t see many people streaming this as a piece of music. Billie and Finneas seem to recognize this, as they use the same production elements for the next track, “OverHeated,” which speaks on identical themes and is much more listenable as a standalone song. There are significant peaks and troughs when it comes to songwriting; some parts are catchy while others are quite prosaic. But considered as a whole, “OverHeated” is a very underappreciated track; sadly, Billie and Finneas might have ambushed it with the weird title.
“NDA” is sonically brilliant but lyrically lifeless. Billie tells of “limousines,” security guards, and a “secret house,” depicting a secret celebrity life that she frames as somewhat of a surprise reveal. The theme of fame, and specifically complaining about fame, has been oversaturated on this album. “NDA” fails to tie its story to more universal experiences, making it alienating. Her overly direct lyrical style is hard to appreciate. The choice of auto-tune in the chorus is unique and the production toward the end of the track is actually phenomenal and very cathartic, but she is unable to tie the song together to make it meaningful for listeners.
Earlier, I described “Therefore I Am” as the “Bad Guy” parallel on Billie’s sophomore album. It is equivalently silly, catchy, unique, and memorable, perhaps even more so than “Bad Guy.” The track exudes a nonchalant, “idgaf” -ness and executes it superbly. I would expect “Therefore I Am” to be much more popular if not for the title track of the album which follows on the tracklist.
In an age of “tiktokification” and short attention spans, Billie and Finneas had to prove with “Happier Than Ever” that there is something in the music worth staying for. They have surpassed all expectations: the song is a career-defining wonder. “When I’m away from you/I’m happier than ever/Wish I could explain it better/I wish it wasn’t true”—Billie’s signature slides and runs go hand in hand with palpable dejection and causticity, as the sibling songwriters deliver line after line of impeccable quality and vividness. As her vocals fade out midway, the song offers a genre-transgressing surprise: an outburst of distorted rock aggression marked by electric guitar. Billie declares, “I don’t relate to you, no/’Cause I’d never treat me this shitty/You made me hate this city,” as Finneas unapologetically pulverizes the instruments with distortion. Billie continues: “I could talk about every time that you showed up on time/But I'd have an empty line 'cause you never did/Never paid any mind to my mother or friends so I/Shut 'em all out for you 'cause I was a kid.” As the track nears its end, her voice transforms into a mushroom cloud of harmony, layered screams, and total euphoric rage, all while compromising none of the song’s musical integrity. Then the sounds collapse into static noise, prompting reflection and clarity. Beyond its endlessly memorable verses, “Happier Than Ever” is a breakthrough display of passion unlike anything previously seen in her discography, a pinnacle of songwriting, production, experimentation, vocal performance, and emotional depth. There is certainly an aura of culmination to the song.
"Happier Than Ever" music video
Billie and Finneas seem to disagree, as they’ve decided to close out the album with another track, “Male Fantasy.” It illustrates Billie’s day-to-day struggle to let go of a relationship while she takes brief digressions commenting on pornography and broken friendships from her past. The storytelling excels and her vocal delivery continues to be incredible. Juxtaposing with the title track, this final song is serene and depressive, and serves as a break from the former’s cathartic rage.
The album marks a watershed moment for Billie Eilish and her image in the public eye as she begins to step out of her phase of early fame. She took this conversation into the album as a central theme but ended up overusing it for inspiration. Beyond the phenomenal first track, “Getting Older,” her complaints about being famous are not highlights of the album. The highlights of the album are Billie’s mostly superb lyrics and vocals and Finneas’ consistently gratifying production, which peaked in the title track but added many instant classics to the siblings’ repertoire. “Happier Than Ever” loses some consistency and adds variety, which is a welcome change for a sophomore album. This is arguably her best work so far.
Senior Editor: Lucy Chen '24
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