When we all fall asleep, where do we go?
- Michael Barbara
- Apr 6, 2019
- 3 min read
Is the title of Billie Eilish's very first and highly anticipated studio album. The album, much like the artists' previous songs were co-written and co-produced alongside he brother Finneas. Since her debut single Ocean eyes to her stylishly evil EP "Don't smile at me" , the artist built up high standards to meet and has not only met but surpassed them, 14 times in the album.
The album is nothing short of an ingeniously curated story of vivid colours contrasting vulnerable emotions done so in her signature cinematic production of both songs and visuals. Exploring sensitive topics such as drug abuse and mental health she speaks the words we never knew we needed. The songs which were released before the album displayed short clips of the music video production on the digital album. All other songs feature an animated illustration in various hypnotising colours, or completely sinister in black white & carbon shadows.
The first song of the album titled "Bad Guy" was the only song which was accompanied by a music video after the album aired. Directed by Dave Meyers, who worked with the likes of Ariana Grande and also collaborated with Billie in making the video for "Bury a friend", the video referenced classic horror movie references on a dark backdrop in a possessed mind. However the directors work is often followed with controversy and accusations of plagiarism.
Bad Guy
An appropriate opening song for the album, setting a clear tone and attitude in a bold unprecedented beat and effortlessly breathy vocals carrying warning. Each scene is treated with the same mathematically accurate colour composition which is to be expected considering the artists' acute synesthesia which has laced the minds of generational legends before the young artist such as Frank Ocean.
Xanny
"Im in the second hand smoke,
still just drinking canned coke,
I don't need a xanny to feel better.
On designated drives home,
only one who's not stoned
Don't give me a xanny now, or ever. "
All the good girls go to hell
"All the good girls go to hell,
cause even God herself has enemies
And once the water starts to rise,
and heavens out of sight
she'll want the Devil on her team"
8
Title track 8, is in fact just called 8. A soft-spoken hymn as an ode to heartbreak carried out on an acoustic melody on a ukulele. On the first listen Billie actually appears to present herself as the victim however the story is told in the perspective of someone she has hurt in the past.
Ilomilo
Named after the arcade video game the objective of which is to unite the character "illo" to its partner "Milo". This song begins with the same opening and ending melody of "Burry a friend" which stands right behind "Ilomilo" on the tracklist making it almost impossible to distinguish the end of one song and the beginning of the next. instead they form into a fluid sonic experience displaying the artists incredible storytelling ability.
Listen before I go, I love you. Goodbye.
The titles of the final three songs were specifically selected in order to form a sentence which acts as the sign off of the entire album. "Goodbye", the final song acted as an Epilogue working from the bottom of the track-list to the top, Billie hauntingly chants the opening line to each song in a glass voice coloured in the dark hues of her brothers voice digitally distorted singing notes which Sink an octave lower and into the floor.
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