HIT ME HARD AND SOFT

Not everything here was convincing enough to turn me into a Billie fan, but I think I understand the hype a little bit better now. It's moody and dark, and she puts a lot of care into her production and lyrics. I really liked "Skinny" and "Bittersuite", while tracks like "Lunch" and "Wildflower" didn't do anything for me. Still, it has an enjoyable atmosphere, even if this genre isn't really my thing.

2.3

Really solid album. Lots of range and depth. Not my usual taste in music, but you can’t help but like it.

Sounds deep. Liked it

A couple months back I saw a trailer for a concert movie they made based on the tour supporting this album and it made me think. I can’t conceptualize wanting to listen to this music in an arena. Nothing about this really screams “I need to hear this from the upper decks in the Wells Fargo Center with an 18 dollar bud light”. A small theater? Maybe. Billie makes headphones music for when you are watching raindrops race down the window of a city bus. I do like this album though. The production is really great and the songs are well written. Her vocal skills really get a chance to shine here. Also The Diner somewhat sounds like The Way You Move by Outkast. Favorites were Lunch, Birds Of A Feather, and The Greatest.

I’m sure this album is lyrically interesting, but I couldn’t understand shit with the constant whispering.

Maybe I’m a pop hater after all.

As an old man at the time of this writing, the "vibes" that youngsters these days speak so glowingly of rarely touch me, so I was surprised how quickly the vibes of this album struck me. I loved this album the first time I heard it, and usually I can write a response right away when I love an album, but this one took about half a dozen listens--no, basking in the vibes--before I felt like I could write anything. Now read back over what I just wrote. See how I didn't actually write anything? That's because I'm just vibing.

I listened to her debut a decent amount although it hasn't really held my interest over time if I'm being honest. I haven't checked out much since beyond just what I've heard incidentally. This was enjoyable and pleasant but also didn't leave a huge impression on me. I think part of it is just me not being the target audience to be honest and that's ok.

Hit Me Hard and Soft lives up to its name, you have the soft and slower songs and the dancefloor bangers, and the album switches between both pretty frequently. You can see in the first two songs, which starts as orchestral pop only to transition to nu-disco.

I'm not entirely sure if I like the album or not. I've listened to it twice, the first time it felt so lifeless and sucked all of the energy out of me, but on a repeat listen in the right mood it did hit me right. I find the breathy vocals to be incredibly irritating, especially since Billie Eilish is clearly a very good singer. That style of singing has been adopted in the alt pop scene, so not only is it inescapable now but it wasn't very good to begin with.

Chihiro and Birds of a Feather give the album some stability where Eilish can really get into her groove, until the song quality falls of a cliff near the end. She's clearly better when she has more energy in her songs, her slower songs feels a bit too much like a dirge

Was it a good addition to the list: Yeah probably. Eilish is one of the defining artists of the 2020s so she should probably have something in.

Top 3 songs: Chihiro, Birds of a Feather, The Greatest

Dreamy synths and sleepy vocals create a floaty euphoric feeling - pure vibes. Expressive but in an inward looking, introverted way. Slow songs that get more intense by adding layers to the arrangements and delving ever more deeply into the sad pop wallow. The true ballads with acoustic guitars are a drag though. A lot of it is pretty boring. I still don't get how she's a huge pop star with this flat affectless performance. A model of pop stardom based on hushed parasocial intimacy and relatable detachment?But, even if it's not really my thing it' does mark a nice change from bubble gum pop or RnB-based party music being the only path to this level of fame though. I guess she's like the gen z version of Adele with a singing style more worried about waking up your parents than winning a tv show?

Favorites: Birds of a Feather, the diner

Not great, but better than some of the dross on the list

Great production and plenty to enjoy, but I found it a bit too poppy for my taste. I wanted more of the dark, atmospheric sound that Billie Eilish does so well. Enjoyable album, but didn’t quite hit the heights I was hoping for.

Perfectly fine

I just find her so bland and uninteresting and I can't stand that whisper singing thing she does.

Billie sings like she's scared to sing.

Favourite songs: Lunch, Chihiro, Birds of a Feather, Bittersuite

Least favourite songs: Skinny

3/5

Ok Billy, I remember not really thinking this was a big deal when it came out. LUNCH is a good song. BIRDS OF A FEATHER is a little overpraised in my opinion. One of the albums of #BRATSUMMER, which everyone wanted to be a lesbian. And good for them. And good for the people who thought they were lesbians after all and tried it out. Some, as it turns out, were not actually lesbians but better people for the experience. May we all be so lucky.
There are some fun turns in here, like the post chorus/bridge/outro on GREATEST. I can appreciate Billie standing more on the strength of her delicate vocal deliveries. The album to me feels more about building and resting on a delicate structure rather than her earlier stuff. There are flashes of her more BOM sound. Very much a departure from her earlier work and an artistic evolution. Not really something I am very interested in and certainly not the best album of 2024.

I was a bit skeptical about Hit Me Hard and Soft at first, I mean, this is the music my kid loves to listen to, but it really grew on me. I’m usually not big on that hushed, mumbled pop sound, but Billie absolutely proves she’s the real deal here. Finneas’s production is the star of the show, it’s crisp, spacious, and totally ambitious, shifting perfectly from quiet, bedroom-pop moments to massive dance beats. Tracks like "Birds of a Feather" and "Lunch" are instant earworms, and the way "Bittersuite" transitions into "Blue" shows she’s really out here taking risks and breaking the mold.

It’s not perfect... there are a few spots where the energy dips or the songs start to sound a little samey, but even then, it’s clear she’s operating at a different level than everyone else.

Tää Eilishin genre ei ihan iske. Ihan hyvä lisä kyllä listalle. 3/5

Every song expressive and atmospheric. I've been sleeping on Billie too long.