With the Grammy nominations out, its time for my "album of the year" reviews. I score each track on whether it stands out, is merely okay, or is a miss. The final score will be out of a high of 100.
(All Rights To Darkroom/Interscope Records)
1) "!!!!!!!!!!"
This serves as a brief introductory.
2) "Bad Guy"
This is a bass-heavy track, with a cool feel. Billie is mocking her partner. The bridge is rather interesting as well; "My mommy likes to sing along with me, But she won't sing this song, if she reads all the lyrics, She'll pity the men I know".
3) "Xanny"
This is about Billie being around drug use, declining to take part; "They just keep doin' nothing, too intoxicated to be scared". She's mentioning how her friends are just so drugged up that they've lost themselves.
4) "You Should See Me With A Crown"
The title is a reference to "Sherlock". This track is very lyrical; "Tell me which one is worse, living or dying first". The chorus goes hard dealing with her sense of superiority.
5) "All the good girls go to hell"
With a quick beat, this track features a lot of religious imagery; "man is such a fool, why are we saving him?". Mainly, Billie is talking about climate change; "hills burn in California, my turn to ignore ya".
6) "wish you were gay"
Billie is dealing with the feeling of rejection. The 2nd verse is fascinating, as she goes through a metaphorical "12 step" program. She feels selfish for wishing (as mentioned in the title), that the reason she was being rejected was that the guy was gay.
7) "when the party's over"
With a tranquil backing, Billie deals with loss & a sense of distance from her partner.
8) "8"
This track features some interesting vocal effects. There's a folk/indie feel. "8" is sung from the perspective of someone she hurt. The soft vocals enhance this track.
9) "my strange addiction"
This track features samples from "The Office"...yes the TV show. She can't explain why she's so addicted to her partner (with some interesting grammatical metaphors); "should take a break, not an oxford comma".
10) "Bury A Friend"
This track starts off from the perspective of a "monster"; "why aren't you scared of me? Why do you care for me?". It's revealed that Billie herself is the monster; "Like I wanna drown, like I wanna end me."
11) "Ilomilo"
"Ilomilo" deals with Billie's fear of separation; "Where did you go? I should know, but it's cold. And I don't wanna be lonely. So show me the way home, I can't lose another life". Combined with a calming backing, this track really leaves an impact.
12) "listen before I go"
Thus track deals with Billie's suicidal thoughts; "Take me to the rooftop, I wanna see the world when I stop breathing, Turnin' Blue, Tell me love is endless, don't be so pretentious. Leave me like you do". With an emotional punch, you can really sense the angst and pain of this track; "sorry can't save me now, Sorry I don't know her".
13) "I love you"
This is a ballad dealing with a complicated relationship; "never been the type to let someone see right through". "I love you" is just perfectly produced.
14) "goodbye"
The title of this track completes a message from the prior three songs; "Listen before I go....I Love You....Goodbye". This track is like a wrap-up/summary of the album, that ingeniously clips lyrics from the album.
"When We Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go" is simply put a perfect album. From top to bottom, every track delivers a poignant and deep message. However, with bass-heavy and catchy tracks like "bad guy" and "you should see me with a crown", there's still variety. I can't wait to see what Billie Eilish does next. (100)
"When We Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go" - Billie Eilish (100)
"Cuz I Love You" (Deluxe) - Lizzo (96.5)
"I Used To Know Her" - H.E.R (84.2)
"Father Of The Bride" - Vampire Weekend (80.5)
"Norman Fucking Rockwell" - Lana Del Rey (64.3)
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