Billie Eilish O’Connell, known as Billie Eilish, is a rising Indie Pop artist who made her breakthrough in the music industry at age 14 with her single ‘ocean eyes,’ which was written and produced by herself and her brother Finneas O’Connell. The song was originally put on Soundcloud which attracted many teens who seem to favor the Lana Del Rey vibe that Billie’s music seems to have.

After ‘ocean eyes’ was released, Billie, aged 16 at the time, released an extended play titled ‘don’t smile at me’ on August 11, 2017 including two of her other singles ‘idontwannabeyouanymore’ and ‘bellyache.’ The extended play became a hit in the United States debuting at number 185 on the Billboard Top 200 a month and a half after its release.

Eilish has recently recorded and released her first studio album titled ‘WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO?’ on March 29, 2019, which features her hit singles ‘bad guy’ and ‘bury a friend.’ ‘bury a friend’ was the song that structured the entire album. It gave Eilish a sense of what she wanted the album to represent. The album includes 14 tracks with two previously released tracks ‘you should see me in a crown,’ and ‘when the party’s over.’

The introductory track ‘!!!!!!!’ in the album stands at 13 seconds. My first impression of the track was a bit on the puzzled side. In my head, it sounded like a soda can being opened repeatedly, but the truth in fact is that it is actually Eilish removing her invisalign from her mouth to record a track. The main idea behind it was created by Finneas as a way to introduce Eilish in all of her tracks similar to rapper Lil Wayne and his lighter flick that can be heard at the start of  most of his songs. “I have so much audio of her taking out her Invisalign that I was like, ‘Billie, this is gonna be your version of the Lil Wayne lighter flick,’” Finneas explained. “You know how when you listen to a new Lil Wayne song he’s lighting up a blunt in the song? I was like, ‘Bill, this is gonna be your signature sound.’”

‘all the good girls go to hell’ and ‘my strange addiction’ are the only songs on the track that have a groovy-type vibe tied to them. They also happen to be my favorite tracks from the album because they stray from her typical melancholy pop flow that she proceeds to include in most her tracks. It’s refreshing to hear a new flow coming from an artist who you wouldn’t normally expect it from. These songs are great to listen to on a sunny afternoon stroll or just when you want to vibe in your room all by yourself.  

‘bury a friend’ has to be the most thrilling tracks of the entire album. The whole album is based on Eilish’s night terrors, nightmares, lucid dreams, but this song seems to be one that captivates them the most. You can hear drilling noises as if someone is drilling into her mind which accentuates the creepiness of the track. Every time I listen to this song, it reminds me of all the horror movies I have watched and the nightmares I used to have when I was a child. Nothing too horrifying that will create night terrors of your own, but it is something different, something that hasn’t been done before.

Although ‘bad guy’ and ‘wish you were gay’ are completely different when it comes to the tone and vibe of the songs, they are also two of my other favorites that I play most of the time. ‘bad guy’ is this upbeat, whimsical tune that can get stuck in your head and it makes you feel like you’ve become the “bad guy,” and “wish you were gay” is this acoustic track that makes you want to pull out your guitar and strum along with it.

Towards the end of the album, Eilish has three songs placed together titled ‘listen before i go,’ ‘i love you,’ and ‘goodbye.’ At first glance, most would have figured these were simply song titles, but the main reasoning for the order in which these songs are placed are to form a short sentence. I think her idea of structuring her titles in the album is brilliant and unique. From what I have observed, her album is the only one that incorporates a fine detail like this which adds an extra amount of meaning to it. The ending songs add gloominess to the album as they are downhearted and dark.

Truthfully, every single one of the tracks on the album puts the whole thing together. It isn’t just one song or two, it’s all of them. Each song gives a different vibe off of it that allows you to relate to them in some way. The powerful messages that come from the tracks are monumental and therefore should be listened to by those who want to listen to something new or for those who favor this genre of music. For the amount of times I’ve listened to this album, I believe it deserves a 5/5.