It helps that Eilish is both an old soul and a young woman coming into her sexuality, more able than before to spot lovers who want mirrors, not equals. Getting older, then, is the predominant theme. The lovely HalleyвЂ™s Comet, meanwhile, pairs church organ with a 60s bent and a waltz-time coda. Everybody Dies is a very grown-up tune about death in which Eilish boggles at how anyone would want to be cryogenically preserved if everyone they loved was gone. Here, no fewer than five more tracks work in musical backward glances вЂ“ bossa nova (the playful Bille Bossa Nova), Hawaiian breezes (the title track), or some classic, pre-pop vocalising. The first instalment of the Happier era, last NovemberвЂ™s My Future, combined a classic torch song with vintage funk-pop. It was no accident Eilish was tapped for a Bond theme. Happier Than Ever doubles down on some of the deeply retro aesthetics of the signature sound refined by Eilish and her brother, Finneas OвЂ™Connell, which contrast hypermodern digitals with old-timey, satin-gown flourishes.

Usefully, EilishвЂ™s new look вЂ“ peak Hollywood bombshell weeping photogenically вЂ“ is in keeping with her new music there are some parallels with Lana Del Rey here, but very little overlap. Eilish is both an old soul and a young woman coming into her sexuality, more able to spot lovers who want mirrors, not equals But that is one of precious few missteps on this bold and classy follow-up. The songвЂ™s forthright messaging is let down slightly by a rhyme-association chorus not up to EilishвЂ™s usual high bar. With regard to her optics, Eilish has had to explain once again that she will present herself as she pleases her 2020 broadside Not My Responsibility is reproduced on Happier Than Ever because it bears repeating.ДЄnother mordant track here, OverHeated, breaks down the infamous paparazzo incident in which she was photographed in a vest. Previously, there has been dismay over how she swapped the green hair and roomy hip-hop threads she wore for her debut, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go (2019), for platinum blond locks and even corsetry ( for a British Vogue shoot). In recent weeks, Eilish has been accused of queerbaiting and tacit racism. The second album by Billie Eilish вЂ“ the still-teenage singer-songwriter and Grammy-magnet вЂ“ lands amid a backlash to her success (seven Grammys to date Happier Than Ever has had more Apple Music listeners add it to their libraries before its release than any other album). T he court of public opinion is never out of session, especially when the creative in the dock is a young woman.

Billie eilish album