By: burgundy bug
WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO? cover
Source: OUT NOW ON ALL PLATFORMS | Billie Eilish
The teen-queen of angst, Billie Eilish, is back with her debut studio album WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO? and this time she’s badder than ever.
A Bit of Context…
Billie Eilish Pirate Baird O’Connell is the 17-year old American singer-songwriter who is wise beyond her years.
People always try to dig into my past as a way to understand me. If you want to learn about me, talk to me right now about who I am right now.
Source: Billie Eilish – The Official Story – Told By Her| Vevo LIFT | Billie Eilish
At 13 years old, Billie Eilish released her first single Ocean Eyes on SoundCloud in Mar 2016.
As of Apr 2019, Ocean Eyes has accrued over 16.2 million streams on SoundCloud.
Over a year later, Eilish released her critically acclaimed EP Don’t Smile at Me on all streaming platforms in Aug 2017.
WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO?
WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO? is dark, brooding, heavy, and incredibly innovative.
After removing her invisalign in the 13-second intro track !!!!!!!, Eilish sets the tone of the album with bad guy.
“I’m that bad type / Make your mama sad type / Make your girlfriend mad type / Might seduce your dad type / I’m the bad guy / Duh” Eilish teases over snappy 808s.
The track is playful, intriguing, and a perfect introduction to Eilish in 2019.
The album goes in a lighter, airy direction with one of my personal favorite tracks, xanny.
Eilish flaunts her vocal abilities, dancing lightly over delicate piano, which transitions into a heavy blend of 808s and bass with each refrain.
The 808s do get very distorted through smartphone and computer speakers. However, it’s safe to assume this was the intent of the artist and producer.
The bass and 808s continue to hit heavy as the album gets a bit more electric and anti-pop with the lead single you should see me in a crown.
In all the good girls go to hell, Eilish soft vocals highlight each snap of the poppy and alluring instrumentals.
wish you were gay is a fresh, anti-pop ballad for the lovelorn, and my absolute favorite track on the entire album.
“I just want to make you feel okay / But all you do is look the other way / I can’t tell you how much I wish I didn’t want to stay / I just kinda wish you were gay” Eilish sings over acoustics and bass synths, wishing there were a “better reason” for the boy in question rejecting her.
when the party’s over transitions the album into an emotional, slower, softer break from the taunting tracks preceding it.
“Don’t you know I’m no good for you? / I’ve learned to lose you, can’t afford to / Tore my shirt to stop you bleedin’ / But nothin’ ever stops you leavin'” Eilish sings delicately, revealing a more vulnerable side of herself.
Perhaps she isn’t such a “bad guy” after all.
8, is sweet and takes on a somewhat beachy sound with its brilliant use of ukuleles.
The lyrics are fragile and sincere, almost making Eilish appear somewhat small – but don’t let that fool you.
“I wrote the song ‘8’ from the perspective of somebody who I hurt,” Eilish writes in the description for the album on iTunes and Apple Music. “When people hear that song, they’re like, ‘Oh, poor baby Billie, she’s so hurt.’ But really I was just a dickhead for a minute and the only way I could deal with it was to stop and put myself in that person’s place”
my strange addiction is catchy and saucy, complimented by samples from The Office throughout the track.
Eilish had actually met Angela Kinsey who plays Angela on The Office at the San Francisco airport awhile back. After the release of my strange addiction, Kinsey posted the photo commemorating Eilish for the track.
bury a friend is haunting and intimidating.
“‘bury a friend’ is literally from the perspective of the monster under my bed,” Eilish said to Altpress. “I also confess that I’m this monster, because I’m my own worst enemy. I might be the monster under your bed, too.”
ilomilo is a nod towards the 2010 puzzle game Ilomilo, where the player must reunite the characters Ilo and Milo by the end of each level.
Playing on the video game’s concept, the song revolves around the fear of losing someone.
“And I don’t wanna be lonely / So tell me you’ll come home / Even if it’s just a lie” Eilish sings.
listen before i go is the slowest, most heartfelt track on the album. It is a deep, emotional ballad about suicide.
“If you need me, wanna see me / Better hurry ’cause I’m leavin’ soon” Eilish sings over tear-jerking piano chords. “Sorry can’t save me now / Sorry I don’t know how / Sorry there’s no way out (Sorry) / But down / Hmm down”
i love you is another soft, more vulnerable track following listen before i go.
Over faint acoustic guitars and in harmony with herself, Eilish details the tug-o-war of a deeply complex relationship.
goodbye is the final track on the album and the second shortest.
Eilish neatly wraps packages the entire album with goodbye, which strings together lyrics from songs throughout WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO?
Bug’s Two Cents
I feel head over heels for Eilish’s work from the moment I heard my boy last Spring.
After looking into her music a bit further, I found myself hypnotized by her aesthetic. I’m not conventionally much of a “Stan,” but Eilish is captivating as an artist.
Yes, while we all go through a bit of teen angst, Eilish manages to pick herself up by her bootstraps and kick the stereotype in the ass with her deep, thought-provoking lyricism and angelic vocals.
I’ve been hooked on WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO? since the moment bad guy graced my ear drums.
Eilish’s debut album is inventive, intriguing, addicting, and loaded with a vibrant pallet of sounds. It is exactly what my playlists have been craving.
Needless to say, I’ll have WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO? on replay for the next few days.
Although I’ve only known of Eilish for about a year, I still feel her work has come such a long way since Don’t Smile at Me. It’s been fascinating to watch her progress as an artist and I am incredibly excited for whatever comes next from her.
Interested in having content featured in an upcoming blog post or issue of The Burgundy Zine? Head on over to the submissions page!
For all other inquiries, please fulfill a contact form.