Billie Eilish’s creatively ambitious studio album, ‘When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?’, has finally arrived. The record is rich with haunting explorations of dreams, nightmares, and fantasies, blurring the lines between what’s real and what’s imagined. Produced alongside her brother, Finneas, the album builds on the eerie, genre-bending sound she introduced in her first project, but here, we witness her creativity pushed even further.
With unsettling themes of demonic imagery, depression, and existential uncertainty, Eilish crafts a sonic world where lucid dreams and night terrors intertwine with real-world anxieties, capturing the disorienting grip on reality that often accompanies youth. Don’t look under your bed as we review her commercial debut in full…
Kicking off with a unique intro that’s both quirky and mysterious, the opening track, !!!!!!, features literal studio chatter about Billie removing her Invisalign to record the album. It shows that despite the deep, hard-hitting themes ahead, Billie is still young and is waiting for her teeth to straighten out.
Then, bad guy then immediately kicks in, and it might as well come with a warning: enter this album at your own risk. A rhythmic, snappy, and hypnotic bass lures you into the depths of Billie’s mind, where whispered vocals and eerie, spooky sounds dominate. In a low tone, she confidently claims, ‘I’m the bad guy,’, using scattered helicopter-like vocal chops and minimalistic percussion. With its sudden dubstep-inspired dance break and percussion breakdown, the song makes a bold leap in sound from her debut, offering a statement about Billie’s resilient, rebellious persona as much as a sonic exploration. A huge hit.
Personal and intimate, xanny is a heartfelt track about the pain of growing up alongside friends succumbing to addiction. The lyrics hit hard, especially the haunting line, ‘too intoxicated to be scared’, and the production evokes a sense of suffocation with low 808s and intentionally overdriven, side-chained vocal effects that intertwine with deep, low-end basses. The bridge especially stands out, showcasing both Finneas’ production and Billie’s songwriting abilities, with the bleak, ‘please don’t try to kiss me on the sidewalk on your cigarette break’ being a highlight.
Diving into the dark and mysterious depths of the album, you should see me in a crown explores Billie’s confidence in new forms. Inspired by a Sherlock episode, the song acts as a bold declaration of world domination, featuring raspy vocals and intense production that demands attention. Lyrics like the foreboding ‘wait till the world is mine’ and the vivid ‘blood on the marble wall’ showcase Billie’s ambition, while the production takes on a mechanical-inspired turn. The track’s tone is sharp and monstrous, putting you in the mind of someone determined to take over, but she pulls it off effortlessly… cool… somehow?
A scathing commentary on the state of the world, all the good girls go to hell positions the world’s bad people as Lucifer(s). The vibe is dark yet playful, with a toy piano giving the song a twisted carnival atmosphere, as Gen Z-ers grapple with the world around them. Dripping with directness and sarcasm (‘hills burn in California, my turn to ignore ya’), the song addresses the disillusionment surrounding climate change and real-world issues facing young people. The former warriors of truth are told they’re the devils, but Eilish flips the narrative here by saying, ‘you’ll want the devil on your team.’ A wild ride that is undeniably her.
Billie takes a humorous yet raw approach to rejection in wish you were gay, using canned laughter and audience tracks to add a surreal, comical layer to heartbreak. She spins a narrative where, to cope with unrequited love, she wishes her love interest were gay, making it easier to handle (‘just say that I’m not your preferred sexual orientation’). A playful acoustic guitar drives most of the track, alongside Billie’s heart-wrenching lyrics, counting down with biting precision: ‘six words you never understood’ and ‘five words you’ll never say’. A real unique take on rejection. No queerbaiting here, mom!
The tension in when the party’s over is palpable, as Billie reflects on a relationship falling apart. Or as I’d like to say, the “friends with benefits” syndrome. A bare-boned piano and haunting vocals make it feel like we’re hearing the last moments of a toxic relationship and gut-punching lyrics like ‘tore my shirt to stop you bleeding’ show just how much she has invested in this relationship. By the second pre-chorus, a rebellious tone emerges, leading into a bridge that’s raw and emotional, pleading, ‘let’s just let it go, let me let you go’. It’s a painfully vulnerable track that lays Billie’s feelings of helplessness on the table.
In a turn, 8 offers a quirky, somewhat childlike reflection on an ending relationship. The intentionally placed ukulele gives it a playful, almost nursery-like vibe, but the lyrics reveal deeper vulnerability. Billie sings from the perspective of someone who feels they can’t please their partner, and the repetitive ‘I think I better go’ conveys her resignation. With a lullaby-like quality, this track is a real kindergarten goodbye, yet there’s real tenderness in her delivery. It’s almost as if the childlike tone is the only way to combat these feelings in a backwards way.
With samples of The Office sprinkled throughout, my strange addiction takes a deep dive into the addictive nature of love, all wrapped up in a fun, danceable vibe. Think of it as 2019’s answer to “Alors on Danse.” Billie can’t seem to quit the ‘deadly fever’ of a relationship, and singing about it only reinforces her obsession. The catchy party production mirrors the addictiveness, and she lightly confesses, ‘it burns like a gin and I like it’, showing that she can mix pleasure and pain in the same breath. Special shout-out to the genius line, ‘we should’ve taken a break, not an Oxford comma’. Grammar queen.
With a production that feels straight out of a horror film, bury a friend spirals into dark territory. Vocoder effects create an eerie, distorted quality to Billie’s voice, and the lyrics feel like a direct confrontation with herself, her fans, and the music industry all at once. It’s speculative at times, as if addressing the monster under her bed with the opening lines: ‘what do you want from me, why don’t you run from me, what are you wondering, what do you know?’. Confusion and frustration pour out from all angles, as though Billie is her own worst enemy. A satanic quality emerges with commands like ‘come here’, ‘listen’, and ‘careful’, splitting the song into three distinct arenas. The instrumental breakdown in the outro also heightens this sense of dread and instability. Mad.
Billie then crafts a haunting yet playful atmosphere with ilomilo, a song that explores separation, loss, and the fear of being alone. While the tempo is upbeat, the detuned synths create an uneasy effect, reflecting the emotional turmoil in the lyrics. A xylophone melody gives it a spooky quality, reinforcing the nightmarish, carnival themes that pervades the album. Stuttering on specific lines like ‘hurry, I’m worried’ and ‘I’m lonely’ really highlight the sense of vulnerability, while cyclical production techniques mirror obsessive thoughts. By the second verse, a steady drumbeat introduces a groove, momentarily disguising the deep sadness of ‘I couldn’t love someone ‘cause I might break’, but it doesnt mask the idea that Billie is trapped in a world wrecked by tragedy.
In a downtempo, harrowing ballad, listen before i go offers a devastating portrayal of suicidal ideation. Sparse piano, layered with subtle breathy vocals intensify the rawness and sheer desperation of her delivery, and the opening line, ‘take me to the rooftop, I wanna see the world when I stop breathing’ sets the stage for a final goodbye. Eilish’s lyrics, ‘sorry can’t save me now’ really suggest an irreversible decision, and as sirens wail in the background, the song ends with chilling finality. A crushing ode to a young life lost.
Similarly, i love you feels like an intimate confession. Billie is here addressing a friend who’s struggling, and the slow tempo sets a gentle atmosphere, with her delicate voice carrying the weight of the message. It’s a quiet moment of reflection as we reach the end of the album, full of vulnerability that highlights her ability to tackle difficult emotions with a tender touch. With troubled lyrics like ‘what the hell did I do?’, the rawness is still so fresh, making this one of the most poignant tracks on the album.
And then to round this concept-driven debut of, in a dramatic and emotional farewell, goodbye offers a reversed version of all of the themes and lyrics we’ve endured over the last 40-minutes. It’s Billie’s way of encapsulating the cycle of success and failure. It also serves as a theatrical curtain call and final bow from her to the listeners, acknowledging the highs and lows of this release and the dramatic fallout we’re left with. A truly bittersweet ending.
Overall, this debut studio release is a true standout. It offers a mature sound for such a young artist, with unflinching explorations that hit home. Lyrically, it captures the messy, cyclical nature of life and growing up, and the slick production amplifies the emotional depth of each track on the record. Each song is a soundtrack, and each soundtrack is a journey of heartache. And this album isn’t just for 14-year-old girls; it’s for anyone who’s ever felt the sting of its themes. The brother/sister duo navigates topics with such authenticity that nothing feels cringey, popularized, or overdone. Instead, it’s a narrow lens into Billie’s life so far, but it acknowledges that there’s so much more ahead. The world is catching up to Billie Eilish, and she’s clearly not afraid to push boundaries or let her age limit her ambition. Lend your ears.
Glerbie 