Most people at the age of 14 are going to football games or worried about their social status. And then there’s Billie Eilish, who went viral with her first single at the age of 14. She is homeschooled by a very artistic family and writes and produces her music with her brother, Finneas O’Connell. They produced her music in his bedroom/music studio. Her first EP, don’t smile at me, was released in 2017. Her new album, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?, is being released March 28, 2019. In preparation, here is a review of her EP song by song.

“COPYCAT”: This is Eilish’s first song on her debut EP. She wrote this song about a girl who would do everything she would do. During her Genius interview about the first verse, she explains it as: “If you’re gonna copy everything that I do and just be me and make it the most annoying thing in the world, go as hard as you possibly can.” The key of this song says all the people that copy her can’t be as good as her. She calls them “poison rain” to her “dirty water”. The poison is copying but worse. This song is more upbeat and has more bass than some of her other songs. It would be more appealing to people who do not like the slow songs that Billie is more known for. 

“idontwannabeyouanymore”: This song falls second on the album, which is great placement because it is a sister song to “COPYCAT”. “COPYCAT” is talking about someone wanting to be her and how great she is and then idontwannabeyouanymore is about her looking in a mirror saying “I don’t wanna be you” to herself. It details her struggle with her depression and social commentary on other people’s emotions. It is a slower song, which complements its subject. The flow of the song is really peaceful and good for a sadder song. The lyric that sums up this song, “Was I made from a broken mold?”, shows how she struggles with her absence of perfection.

“my boy”: This song is a more upbeat song. You would think this song would be a love song, but it actually is talking about how bad her “boy” is. It is a breakup song because her boy becomes a “shadow”. The best lyrics are “My boy’s being sus and he don’t know how to cuss, he just sounds like he’s tryna be his father (who are you?), My boy’s an ugly crier but he’s such a pretty liar and by that I mean he said he’d ‘change’”. The way she layers voices talking and her singing create more interest in the song. This is a good song to jam to after ending a toxic relationship with your “boy”.

“watch”: Billie Eilish follows the pattern of a breakup song with her song, “watch,” which is about a toxic relationship. She does not want them back in her life continuing to “burn” her heart. This song is a mix between upbeat and slow. It starts out slow and slowly builds into a faster tempo. This transition creates a unique sound that’s different from the rest of the songs on her EP. It is definitely a good revenge and breakup song. This has to be one of the best songs on the album.

“party favor”: This song is very interesting in the way it is set up. It is supposed to be a voicemail left on her lover’s phone. It sounds like she is actually on the phone, which creates a unique sound. It also uses a ukulele, which is different from the more digital sounds from the other songs on the EP. Her “party favor” to the boy’s birthday is her ending this relationship because she doesn’t want to be his “party favor.” She wants to cut ties and block him. The idea of this song is also very funny because she creates a song for his birthday threatening to call the cops on him. This song demonstrates her creativity in lyrics because this is a unique and funny way to end a relationship.

“bellyache”: “Bellyache” has been one of Eilish’s most popular songs. One of her favorite lyrics opens up the song, “Sitting all alone, mouth full of gum, in the driveway. My friends aren’t far, in the back of my car, lay their bodies.” Billie Eilish has a pattern of taking on different characters and stories in her music. In this song, she talks about the guilt and the thoughts after the murder she commits. This is not her only song about murder, but it is one of her most popular. The song has a good mixture of a soft guitar during the verses into a more upbeat bass in the chorus. It is a very “happy” sounding song, which is very ironic due to the subject of the song. It almost hides the dark subject, which may have caused the popularity this song has gained.

“ocean eyes”: “Ocean Eyes” was Billie’s breakout song. The song was originally made for a dance project and was put on Soundcloud for an accessible link. Overnight, the song blew up. This song has a very soft, flowing feel to it. This makes sense due to the original intent for the song being a song to do classical dancing to. This is actually a love song, rather than most of her songs being break up songs. She talks about “falling into your ocean eyes” to the boy she loves. It is really just the idea of being mesmerized by someone and not being able to look away from their eyes. It is a very peaceful and adoring love song, which actually follows the subject of the song, unlike some of her others.

“hostage”: “Hostage” is another love song, but this one is a very slow, guitar-based song. The lyrics are very stalker-like. It follows the trend of her creepy lyrics style. The overall theme of this song is wanting the person for herself. It talks about all the things she loves about “her” person. The lyrics are very beautiful, “Gold on your fingertips, Fingertips against my cheek, Gold leaf, across your lips, Kiss me until I can’t speak,” creating a very beautiful flowing song. It is not my favorite song, nor is it a very popular song, but the song is good for when you are needing a slow love song.

“&burn”: This song is a remix of the song “watch”. It includes a rap from Vince Staples, and also has more of a “trap” beat compared to “watch”. If you like “watch” but want something more upbeat, this song is for you.

Eilish has released singles off of her new album: “you should see me in a crown”, “when the party’s over”, “bury a friend”, and “wish you were gay.” These all show development in her style of music. She continues with her creepy theme in her songs, along with her mixture of high to low tempo songs. She does include more hardcore beats in these singles. It will be interesting to see how her music style changes through the new album. Catch the release on March 28, 2019!