Skepticism is out the window: Billie Eilish's second outing certainly isn't a sophomore slump. Billie Eilish continues to be the world's biggest pop star and is deservedly so with Happier Than Ever, her best album yet.
I really don't think I need to introduce anyone to Billie Eilish at this point but I'll try to come up with a short one. She's an LA based singer and songwriter who has blown up and quickly become one of the biggest pop stars in the world. With the tag team between her and her brother Finneas with production, she's become not just a big sensation but a remarkable promotion of bedroom pop and DIY. Her debut album When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? back in 2019 is a monumental pop album that was quite daring and creative from her contemporaries. It was dark, brooding and creepy yet beautiful at many points too. The production was the key factor into my enjoyment along with her now iconic whispering vocals. After the debut exploded and everyone seemingly praising it (including myself), the next question is obvious: where will Billie go from here?
Happier Than Ever, her new follow up sophomore album, is thankfully still mostly Bille and Finneas at the helm of the creative process. Not only this but it is a departure from the dark and dreamlike state that is When We All Fall Asleep. I was at first skeptical with how straightforward songs like "Your Power" are with its plainly acoustic instrumentation. Don't worry, I love that song; I just was skeptical at first. Happier Than Ever is not as consistent with its styles and sounds like its predecessor is. That's completely fine though because Billie Eilish sounds fantastic on the majority of these different styled songs. It's actually pretty cool seeing what Eilish is capable of on vintage pop, acoustic, bossa nova, hip hop, and more. I actually prefer the unpredictability and change ups on here than on the debut just because of how dang great these new songs are! This is a hot take but I will gladly declare it: Happier Than Ever is her best album yet.
I wasn't extremely familiar with the singles leading up to the new album. I'm happy I wasn't because many of these tracks, including the singles, caught me by surprise. "my future," released last year, is arguably my favorite song of hers yet. The moody, vintage pop instrumental and Eilish's layered vocals are so enjoyable to hear. When the instrumental hits high it goes in thrilling fashion. It reminds me of adult alternative pop from the early 2000's. "Oxytocin" features an instrumental quite reminiscent of a Timbaland produced Justin Timberlake banger (think of the FutureSex/LoveSounds era). It's a nice homage and I think her vocal inflections are really strong and unique here. "Billie Bossa Nova" is a nice homage to the jazzy bossa nova genre while incorporating a modern twist. I do wish it went into a more traditional route but the results are still great. The moody vintage keys from "I Didn't Change My Number" is excellent too. Although there isn't much new to "Hailey's Comet," it's a more traditional piano ballad and I appreciate the atheistic to promote her vocals quite prominently.
With some of the louder moments being the best, some of the quieter ones are strong too. "Not My Responsibility" is a softly hushed Billie Eilish explaining that the negative reactions from her self image or personality, being that it's not her responsibility to care for their criticism but only for her own self. It's has a confident message over a bold instrumental: its cold stark electronics are hair raising to say the very least. "GOLDWING" is a lush ballad with gentle, harmonious choir-filled vocals that are as dreamlike as the clouds in the night sky. The title track starts out as a very pretty lo-fi ballad with ukulele but then goes into this noisy punky rock finish. I appreciate trying something different but it ends up being unfortunately messy and unsatisfying (and a little cringe). "Male Fantasy" finishes the album as another acoustic ballad that's nice on the ears but doesn't add too much to the track listing.
I think Billie Eilish knocks it out of the park with Happier Than Ever. Well, rather she hit a homer just off the edge of getting out of the park. I'm quite surprised by the diversity of the styles and sounds across the record. It is quite longer than her debut album, this time being at 16 songs just under an hour. I do think if it was cut to 12-13 essential tracks it would've faired much better but I'm just being picky at this point. This sophomore outing should oust any fears of a sophomore slump whatsoever. Many of the tracks on the record are some of her best. While the production is more eclectic and outright expensive, the songs themselves work quite well with the instrumentals for the most part. All I have to say is that skepticism is out the window; Billie Eilish continues to be the world's biggest pop star and is deservedly so with Happier Than Ever.
My Rating: 8 / 10
Favorite Songs: "my future," "I Didn't Change My Number," "Oxytoxin," "Not My Responsibility," "OverHeated"
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