Billie Eilish Happier Than Ever 2LP (Vinyl)

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Billie Eilish's second album, Happier Than Ever, will be released on July 30, 2021 via Darkroom/Interscope. Continuing the tradition on from her multi-GRAMMY Award, record-breaking debut album WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO?, Happier Than Ever features no outside songwriters or producers, and was written by 19-year-old Billie Eilish and her brother FINNEAS who produced the album in Los Angeles. The album includes Top 40 #1 single "Therefore I Am" and "my future".

A subtle triumph in the face of overwhelming pressure and expectations, Happier Than Ever is the sound of an artist coming into their own. Without losing any of the experimental, genre-blurring spirit of her Grammy-conquering debut, Billie Eilish elevates her trademark sound and expands her scope with the assistance of her producer-brother Finneas. In addition to baring her soul with increasingly confessional lyrics, she's also strengthened her delivery and range, taking inspiration from jazz and vocal pop greats of old like Julie London and Peggy Lee...Happier Than Ever has the markings of a big career moment, one that signals artistic growth and hints at even more greatness to come.

On her second album, Billie Eilish sings with unsparing honesty about her rapid ascent to stardom and all its accompanying horrors. It's woozy, effortlessly melodic, and showcases her command over the pop landscape.

More artists need to give the finger to a culture that proclaims freedom and acceptance while judging and demanding. In the better songs that aren't just diatribes against soured relationships, Eilish lays bare the struggle to grow under a spotlight that's warped and worn down many people. She often sings in a near whisper, but there's little exaggerated vocal processing or that accursed Auto-Tune. There are some hard lefts, too: an ethereal choral snippet from Gustav Holst, a bossa nova, and the Tin Pan Alley turn in the title track before purposefully grating distortion takes over. Moody, ethereal auras and highly processed instrumentation aren't usually my thing, but it's nice to hear actual melodies and some provocation in modern pop music.