GRAMMYs 2025: HIT ME HARD AND SOFT, Billie Eilish

Long-anticipated. Mysterious. Powerful. Understated. Cohesive. Masterful. The list could go on to describe HIT ME HARD AND SOFT, Billie Eilish‘s third studio album. Her first album in almost three years, HIT ME HARD AND SOFT, is a perfect balance of the dark production and grit of her Grammy-winning 2019 debut, WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP WHERE DO WE GO, and the emotionality and gentle instrumentals of 2021’s Happier Than Ever.

Billie Eilish has never been one to mold herself to fit into any kind of a metaphorical box, and in her third go around, she’s more outspoken, more daring, and the most confident of her unique artistry that she’s ever been.

Stand-out tracks: "BIRDS OF A FEATHER" "THE DINER" "BLUE"

My favorites: "SKINNY" "CHIHIRO" "L'AMOUR DE MA VIE"

@BILLIEEILISH ON INSTAGRAM

Few artists are so intimately connected to the duality of their work as Billie Eilish. Her latest project, aptly titled HIT ME HARD AND SOFT, perfectly encapsulates the paradoxical blend of sharp edges and dreamlike softness that define her life in the spotlight. The album feels like a masterful balancing act between vulnerability and power, allowing listeners a glimpse into the multifaceted layers of the mind of a true artist.

On the softer side, unguarded tracks like album opener 'SKINNY' and the tender (smash hit) 'BIRDS OF A FEATHER' exude a raw emotional openness that feels both delicate and disarming. Meanwhile, the hauntingly beautiful 'WILDFLOWER' carries a calamitous, almost ethereal weight, reminding us of the fragility that exists even within her most powerful moments. Yet, as the album unfolds, Billie’s undeniable and unspoken strength begins to shine through, peeking out from the cracks she allows us to see.

Tracks like 'THE GREATEST' and 'L’AMOUR DE MA VIE' are breathtaking examples of her ability to wield sophistication and ferocity like a glorious double-edged sword, embodying both grace and intensity with an effortless brilliance. Elsewhere, songs like 'CHIHIRO' and 'THE DINER' exude a sleek, cool confidence, embodying the Billie Eilish we’ve come to know and love—fresh, daring, and entirely her own. Billie isn't afraid to defy the expectation in regards to song structure or length for commercial success either, with 'THE GREATEST,' 'L'AMOUR DE MA VIE,' and 'CHIHIRO' all clocking in around five minutes in length and boasting internal genre switches and production gymnastics that truly can't be found in any other artists catalog.

With HIT ME HARD AND SOFT, Billie invites us into a world where vulnerability meets strength, softness meets sharpness, and every note feels like a reflection of the complexity that defines her as both an artist and a person. It’s a stunning portrait of an artist unafraid to embrace the contradictions that make her truly unforgettable.

GRAMMY FOR ALBUM OF THE YEAR

Quite simply, Billie Eilish is a world-class artist who creates some of the most captivating, dynamic, and electrifying music of the current scene, and HIT ME HARD AND SOFT is one of the most ambitious, creative projects of this year. But in a pool of nominees this colossal, Billie hasn't re-invented herself enough in her third go around to justify an album of the year win this time. However, we'll likely see her take home a golden gramophone this year for the part of her music career that was colossal and inventive in itself, top-song-on-Spotify-of-2024 'Birds of a Feather.'

AM I OBSESSED?

RATING: FULLY OBSESSED