Billie Eilish finally released her debut album, “When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?,” Friday after a successful EP and a couple of collaborations and standalone singles.
She began her career when she released “Ocean Eyes” on SoundCloud, and the song went viral, catching the attention of many people including the person who has now become her manager, according to an interview with Teen Vogue.
The song proved to be just the beginning for Eilish, as she revealed herself to be a streaming power with the release of her first EP, “Don’t Smile at Me,” which has now gone platinum in Canada and New Zealand.
Eilish gained a lot of traction over the last year-and-a-half, as she had successful collaborations with Khalid and Vince Staples, all leading up to the release of her highly anticipated debut album this year.
“When We All Fall Asleep” became Apple Music’s most pre-added album of all time this month, with many people adding the album to their library before it was released. The album features four previously released singles: “You Should See Me in a Crown,” “When the Party’s Over,” “Bury a Friend” and “Wish You Were Gay.”
With this album, Eilish is able to show off an even edgier side, as well a more mature sound. The album’s material, however, is still reminicist of her first EP.
After the introduction where Eilish takes out her Invisalign to announce the start of the album, it jumps right into the next song, “Bad Guy.” This is one of the standout songs on the album with a groovy production and bass-heavy breakdown.
As the first full song, “Bad Guy” sets a moody tone for the rest of the album that shows off a much different side of Eilish compared to her first EP.
If someone asked me to recommend one song that sums up the vibe of “When We All Fall Asleep,” I would choose “You Should See Me in a Crown.” It represents the entire essence of the album.
In an interview with Annie Mac on BBC Radio 1, Eilish mentioned the song was created after watching a scene of the BBC show “Sherlock” where Jim Moriarty says, “you should see me in a crown.”
With heavy bass present throughout the song and Eilish’s creepy voice, the track serves as almost a headline for the album, making a bold statement about the artist’s development and where she is headed with her sound.
“All the Good Girls Go to Hell” is one of Eilish’s most upbeat tracks and plays off the topic of religion.
Eilish, who has said she suffers from night terrors and sleep paralysis, mentioned in an interview with Beats 1 host Zane Lowe that all of the songs on this debut album are about things that happen when she is asleep, so with this specific song she is calling out her demons and naming them.
“I Love You” is a ballad that shows off the tender side of Eilish that you do not really get to see throughout the numerous bass-heavy songs on the album.
In the interview with Lowe, Eilish’s brother and co-producer Finneas O’Connell stated there are a lot of “firsts” on the album, such as the feeling when you fall in love for the first time.
The emotion packed into every single lyric in “I Love You,” as Eilish delivers her trademark husky and cracked vocals over some simple guitar production, makes for one of the most memorable tracks on the album.
“Goodbye” was an interesting way to end the album — it is a short track containing a line from each song in the album, but in backwards order. This was definitely a standout way to bring an end to the crazy, bass-infested album.
After listening to “When We All Fall Asleep” in whole, it’s impressive that a 17-year-old and her older brother are the ones behind all of the production and lyrics for this debut album, proving they are an absolute force to be reckoned with.
“When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?” is an absolutely fantastic debut from an artist whose biggest days are still far ahead of her.
