A little bit about Billie Eilish; she was homeschooled for most of her life, just like me, and she's 15. She was only 13 when she sang "Ocean Eyes" from the EP. It just dazzles me that someone two years younger than me is more talented than not only me, but the vast majority of people. Her voice is soulful and versatile, and her songwriting is so very mature. Her brother, Finneas, was a minor Glee actor, but at 17, he found his true calling with producing and songwriting. He produced this entire EP all by himself and co-wrote every single song. The two together just can't be stopped. They remind me a lot of Karmin, but strangely, all representation is given to Billie; perhaps Finneas is just content with being behind the scenes.
The release schedule for the EP was rather strange. One song is from 2015; one was released in February 2017, and after that, a new song was released every Friday in the weeks preceding this EP's release. After all of this, there were only two "new" songs on the EP, but I'm just fine with that. It's very long for an EP; 8 songs. I'll return to that later.
"COPYCAT" is the first song on the album and just so happens to be in my top 3 favorite songs this year. It's a beautiful hybrid, though I'm not quite sure of what; my mind says trap and alternative pop, but that doesn't quite work. It sounds like anger incarnate; the bass shakes the room, it has one of the most satisfying melodies I've ever heard, and Billie's words are full of poison; every line is quotable. Billie's vocals on this track range all over the place; from the accusing, deeper tone throughout most of the song, to that lilting and high register on the bridge. The bridge is completely awesome; it slows the whole song down, as Billie sarcastically sings "I'm sorry, now you know... sorry, sorry, I'm sorry/ psych!". It's just wholly unexpected and I replayed it about ten times the first time I heard the song. "COPYCAT" proves everything it sets out to prove; that Billie is mature and a great vocalist, and that Finneas is able to create one of the best instrumentals this year.
"idontwannabeyouanymore" is, despite the appearance of the name, a very smooth ballad. The lyrics in this song are completely and totally perfect. It's a plea to Billie's insecurities; it's totally heartbreaking and I can relate to it all so much. It's one of the few songs that I've cried to. Just the end of the chorus is tearjerking : "Tell the mirror what you know she's heard before / I don't wanna be you, anymore." Every word is spaced out and filled with infection and what sounds like genuine pain. With the exception of the lyrics, the song could totally fit into a fancy ball; the swinging, complex, percussion and the elegant piano work together so well. Yet another song to make my end of year list.
"my boy" is another angrier track, about the immaturity of her boyfriend. There's another completely unexpected beat switch before the chorus, changing the song from a ballad to a certified banger. The pounding production and the vocal manipulation throughout the track complement Billie's voice well, and the lyrics are just as scathing as always: "my boy, my boy / he ain't a man and he sure as hell ain't honest". The biggest issue with this song is the rather weird voice clips included, probably from movies or something. It kind of ruins the flow of the song at many points. Regardless, the song is a bop!
"watch" is very cute. Billie's vocals are strong throughout, and the outro, in particular, is great. As usual, the lyrics to this song are way more mature than you would expect from a fifteen year old; "watch" is about an unfulfilling relationship that doesn't, and can't, go anywhere. This appears to be a fan favorite. The high synths sound very unique, making the song easy to remember. On the original tracklist of the EP, there is a song called "&burn." This is a reference to the line "Watch my heart burn" in the chorus of this song, and the idea of two songs so closely intertwined is rather interesting. However, the song ended up being cut (you can still find live versions on youtube), in favor of "Bellyache"; this was probably the best choice, but I still have issues with this that I will explain later.
"party favor" sounds like a sweet little ukelele ballad. Billie's voice sounds very smooth and youthful. It does start very awkwardly, with a recording voice message that gradually fades into a full quality song, but it definitely hurts the whole song from a listener's perspective. The first part just has bad sound quality, and you can't get around it. Once the song gets going, it's very charming, at least if you ignore the lyrics. It's actually a song about a sudden breakup, as is evidenced by very memorable chorus of "I hate to do this to you on your birthday / happy birthday, by the way." She also swears on this track which was rather unexpected, but I like it.
"bellyache" is the official lead single (though Ocean Eyes was released first). It's such an amazing piece of art, with two very distinct meanings. On one hand, it can be interpreted as a song about self-doubt and insecurity, with lines like "I lost my mind, I don't mind." But then, on the other hand, is the much more likely, crazier, meaning. It could literally be about a murderer who is on the verge of committing suicide, and there's tons of evidence for this. "My friends aren't far/ in the back of my car/ lay their bodies", "Maybe it's in the gutter / where I left my lover", "Everything I do / the way I wear my noose/ like a necklace," and the video further evidences this interpretation. The fact that a 15 year old came up with all this... As far as the song itself, it's just a genuine pleasure to listen to. The background vocals, that guitar instrumentation, and the deep, pulsating bass in the chorus all work together to make a tapestry of sound. This and Copycat are Finneas's best work, in my opinion.
"ocean eyes" was her first big single. It was released in 2015, when Billie was only 13, but you can't tell that at all. Her voice is wonderfully mature, smooth and versatile throughout this song. The chorus is euphoric, and the imagery is some of the most vivid that I've ever heard. I've loved this song for over a year now, and it was what made me start following Billie's music in the first place. Production-wise, "ocean eyes" is very chill, but that is changed with the more popular Astronomyy Remix, which I actually prefer, and I barely ever prefer remixes. I also really love how this song has Finneas on background vocals; his voice is actually quite nice, and they work well together.
FInally, there's "hostage". Just like the previous song, Finneas supplies backup vocals. However, this time, he sings on almost every line, making this song almost sound like a duet. It's a very slow-burning, downtempo track. That familiar bass kicks in later, but unlike the other songs, it simply supplements the sparse acoustic production, instead of working as it's own entity. The production is vivid and mature, with lines like this: "Let me crawl, inside your veins / I'll build a wall, give you a ball and chain". This song is great to just close your eyes and listen to at the end of the night; it's so atmospheric, but I can't see myself just wanting to listen to it whenever, like a lot of Billie's other works.
One thing that I really don't understand is why this was an EP at all, instead of a debut album. Billie Eilish has two previously released songs that would fit: "Bored" and "Six Feet Under". There are also two unreleased tracks that she has performed live: "True Blue" and "&burn". The latter was originally on the tracklist, right after "watch" (pretty clever, right?), but was replaced by "bellyache" because of fan demand. Sadly, this probably means that we'll never hear a studio version of "&burn", just because of how closely tied it is to "watch".
It seems mean to say, but I just find it amazing how Billie, at the age of 15, is able to make so many masterpieces when there are people who have tried their whole life to get to this level. This is, without a doubt, my favorite project of the year thus far, and I really can't see that changing anytime soon. Every song is at least an 8.5 for me, and there are so many 10s that I will for sure be adding to my year end list. It'll be hard to top a lot of these songs, but I have faith in her to do so for her debut album. Thank you so much for this, Billie. And with that, I think that she's deserving of this score, my highest ever on this blog.
Final Verdict:
95/100
Favorite Tracks: COPYCAT, idontwannabeyouanymore, bellyache, ocean eyes
Least Favorite Track: Party Favor
Discussion Questions:
Should this have been an album?
Billie employs a lot of styles throughout this EP. What do you feel suits her best?
Billie and her brother are a formidable duo; do you think that they should continue making music exclusively together, or branch out to other producers/collaborations?
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