Album of the Week: When We All Fall Asleep Where Do We Go? — Billie Eilish
An album many have been waiting for, Billie Eilish’s debut has finally been made and Mariella Bevan has taken to reviewing it. Read her thoughts below:
There is not much to say about Billie Eilish that hasn’t already been said. Her internet presence is infectious, from her moody stares to eccentric clothes, almost everything in her life has been plastered online in the lead-up to her debut.
At just 17 years old, Billie has already begun to make her mark on the music industry with consistently sold-out tours and many millions of streams on Spotify. Since her humble breakout single ‘ocean eyes’, Eilish has established an ever-growing fanbase, turning the ears of the public and established musicians alike. It is no surprise then that all eyes and ears are on her — if her debut When We All Fall Asleep Where Do We Go? lives up to the hype, Billie will soon be on her way to global pop superstardom.
In the midsts of her rise to fame, critics have compared her to the likes of melancholic pop singers such as Lana Del Ray and Lorde. But what sets her apart from these artists is unparalleled creativity in production and songwriting, forged in collaboration with her brother Finneas.
This creativity is perfectly demonstrated in the track ‘bury a friend’ from which the album title is borrowed. The song is sung from the perspective of a monster under her bed, adding other layers of meaning to the album title’s question. This dark perspective is reflected in the eerie production, with the persistent scratches, creaks, and vocal distortions adding to the nightmarish atmosphere of the track. On its own, the change of pace in the final ten seconds breaks this illusion, but as part of the album it flows seamlessly into the next song ‘ilomilo’ where Billie creates an image of herself slipping into an unpleasant dream, with simple percussion under the driving beat as she confesses her inner fears.
Many of the songs have dark themes similar to this that delve into both adolescent and universal worries, such as ‘xanny’ which is about the negative effects that drugs have had on her friends. The first verse is mostly just her stripped back vocals, whilst the chorus brings in a shaking 808 bassline that seems to distort her voice itself. This contrasts beautifully with the delicate piano but the dominance of the bassline drowns out her voice at times making her words hard to understand. ‘listen before I go’ tackles the subject of suicide, beginning with dreamy piano chords, only showing of the distorted production familiar on many of the other tracks hints later on and ending on a disturbing siren sample.
Although the album sticks to a consistent production blueprint, the tracklist certainly still provides variety. The general aesthetic is moody and dark, but this doesn’t mean it is always unhappy. ‘bad guy’ is a playful track with a driving rhythm, transitioning towards the end into a SOPHIE/iridiscence-era Brockhampton style break down whilst ‘all good girls go to hell’ brings a bubblegum funhouse vibe as Billie muses on twisted Christian symbolism. ‘my strange addiction’, named after the TLC show of the same name, is fairly simple in production, allowing her slick vocals to shine through in between absurd samples from The Office US TV show.
The album not only covers Billie’s fears and brooding mental state, but it also presents a more confident side to her, such as on tracks like ‘you should see me in a crown’. Eilish declares that she is going to “run this nothing town” and tells the listener to “watch me make ’em bow” over a trap beat and drilling synths. The title is a reference to a line by Sherlock’s nemesis Moriarty in the BBC show, and since both Finneas and Billie enjoy exploring characters in their music it is unclear if this is what Billie is aiming for in this track or whether it a reflection of her own thoughts. The song ‘i wish you were gay’ is sad yet comic song about being made to feel inadequate by someone who doesn’t reciprocate your romantic feelings, and wanting to give “to give [their] lack of interest an explanation”. The lyrics are playful yet tragic, with the second verse playing with numbers counting down from 11 — whilst missing out the number 8 in reference to a song that appears later on in the tracklist. The closing song, aptly named ‘goodbye’, showcases stunning harmonies with each line referencing all previous songs on the LP. The lyrical and sonic complexity of these songs arguably makes others like ‘8’ and ‘when the party’s over’ look bland in comparison.
Eilish showcases in this debut album that she has not gained the label of prodigy without reason. At such a young age, she and her brother have managed to catch people’s attention around the globe with impressive lyricism and unique production style. Unlike many contemporary pop albums which have many writers and producers on their credits, this debut was the sole brainchild of Billie and Finneas. Whilst the incessant hype and promotion surrounding the album may taint the opinion of Billie Ellish for some of the more cynical listeners, there is no denying that When We All Fall Asleep Where Do We Go? is an impressive musical endeavour for a pop queen in the making.
Did you enjoy this article? Be sure to let us know! Follow us, leave a comment, share, or use the ‘applause’ function here on Medium.
If you’d like to cast a vote in the Album of the Week poll, don’t forget to follow our Twitter. We’ll also keep you posted on all our latest reviews, interviews, and radio shows.
