Review Summary: A confident debut album from pop's current sensation, Billie Eilish's trademark half-spoken vocals coupled with electric choruses create a winning formula
Billie Eilish is, by this point, a bona fide superstar. From humble beginnings recording her brother's song "Ocean Eyes," she has build a huge fanbase and exploded into the public consciousness with her mix of attitude, commitment to doing as she pleases, and addictive songs. Released in 2019, at the turbulent age of seventeen, 'When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?" is a confident debut full of addictive hooks and hypnotic beats that solidified her position as the "in" pop star of the moment, and would lead to her securing such coveted roles as that of the singer for a James Bond themse song.
Following the brief introductory track, 'Bad Guy' hums into life with a bass riff that has become embedded into people's minds over time. This song is the polar opposite of what is found in so many popular songs, eschewing the family friendly bubblegum sound of artists such as Taylor Swift in favour of singing about - quite literally - screwing fathers and generally acting in a less than sexually strained manner. Whilst this isn't anything new, it sounds almost shocking to hear it come from someone so young, especially when combined with her distinctive image, and the chorus is unforgettable. Towards the end of the track, it descends into a bass driven breakdown section, with some spoken word vocals and overly breathy declarations that Billie is as the title suggest. As an opening to a debut record, you can do much worse than Billie did here.
'Bad Guy' could easily have been the highlight here, and yet every song on the album brings something fresh to the table. The digital effects added to Billie's vocals in "Xanny," the horrific-sounding bridge to "Bury A Friend," and the blase approach to religion displayed in "All The Good Girl's Go To Hell" are all great examples of the different dynamics audible here, and Billie's vocals carry the songs remarkably well. Often, she settles into a niche of mumbled, half-spoken lyricism, but moments such as "Wish You Were Gay'"s higher pitched singing provide a solid example of the strengths of Billie's voice. This, coupled with the really impressive songwriting of her brother Finneas, ensure the songs are all interesting, without any of them really taking centre stage.
Billie Eilish's debut album is one that is absolutely worth a listen. "You Should See Me In A Crown" is perhaps the strongest song here, with the chorus flooded with an arrogant lyricism and impressive beat that lives long in the memory. Other choice cuts are "Bury A Friend," "All The Good Girls Go To Hell," and "I Love You," but in truth any of these songs could be praised. It is very much still a pop record, and therefore fans of such clean and processed music will not be swayed, but a listen to 'When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?" is time well spent for anyone else.
