Billie Eilish
Happier Than Ever

I was afraid. Afraid that the success of the first album might go to this girl's head and make her fall into the standardization of her less talented colleagues. It didn't happen, at least for now; Billie Eilish's second album is consistent with expectations, indeed, it further refines the sound, makes it even less pop, softer, and more whispered, with even less room for chart-ready grooves. Seriously, sometimes you wonder if Billie is really a pop artist because she truly has very little of what is needed for broad success. When you think about it, the offering is actually hard to classify; it's suspended between minimalist electronic, indie pop, and a kind of stripped-down intimate jazz. Her success is also somewhat surprising in a melting pot dominated by flat melodies and obsessive beats.

The tracks of "Happier Than Ever" seem like real hypnotic lullabies, where the instrumentation is gently invoked and Billie whispers in her distinctive way, confirming she has practically created a new vocal style, or at least a personal and inimitable one that probably no one else would dare to emulate.

Some of these lullabies have a fundamentally electronic setup; consider the regular "hops" of "Getting Older," the Radiohead-style breezes of "Everybody Dies," the soft-soul with a soothing voice in "My Future," not to mention "Not My Responsibility," where Billie speaks delicately over a hypnotic backdrop made of long, anguished chords and regular ticking as unsettling as that of a clock on the mantel in silence. Other tracks, however, are acoustic caresses, like "Your Power" or "Male Fantasy," but also the melancholic piano of "Halley’s Comet." The title-track, however, is a case apart, a surprising case, a track with two rather unusual faces, acoustic with a vaguely '50s mood in the first part, slightly noisy rock in the second... and who knows if in the future we will truly have a more rock Billie...

The more rhythmic and "fashionable" episodes are not lacking, but they still maintain a certain care for the sounds and arrangements, which are always clear and audible, unlike many of her colleagues' productions. Not even the most overtly pop beats like "I Didn’t Change My Number" and "Oxytocin" manage to sound unworthy or compromise the artistic integrity of this prodigy girl. However, there is a misstep; "Therefore I Am" is not much in terms of sounds, the level drops there, we're not very far from the flat and skimpy high-charting pop, although we still remain a notch above.

Yes, Billie Eilish has outdone herself by delivering an album even better than her debut. Fear passed? Too soon to tell, credentials are proven over the long distance, and countless bands or artists have taken several years and albums before moving on to easier things; and she is still sailing in dangerous waters, being in any case a mainstream artist, tumultuous waters that can suck you in at any moment if you don't hold on tightly to the supports and if you're not careful. Already, the image of the girl has changed into something more appealing to fashion magazines, replacing punk-colored hues in favor of a very Marilyn platinum blonde, and putting aside the imaginative wide clothes adorned with various colors and patterns, sometimes revealing a bit more skin. But it's not time to think about what Billie Eilish will be tomorrow; let's enjoy her for what she is now.