Billie Eilish

Billie Eilish is an up-and-coming musician in the world of pop. At just 17,  Eilish is preparing to release her first album, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?, following a successful EP and several singles. After announcing the album, Eilish released a new single,‘bury a friend’ and music video.

Eilish has been rising in popularity over the past couple of years. Despite this, I have had very little exposure to her work. From the little I had seen of Eilish’s work, I had come to the conclusion that she was an emo-girl turned musician and automatically assumed I wouldn’t like her work.

I took Eilish’s album announcement as a chance to actually listen to some of her music and give her a fair shot. I started by watching the ‘bury a friend’ music video.

My general reaction to both the video and to the song itself was that it was creepy, it reminded me of a horror movie, my least favorite genre. The music includes a lot of different background noises as musical elements, such as breaking glass and ominous whispers, all layered on top of Eilish’s chilling vocals and harmonies.

The video takes on a dark visual tone. At one point in the video Eilish is attacked, controlled and caressed by several disembodied hands. The whole thing sort of set me on edge.

That being said, I was impressed by ‘bury a friend’. It is well written and does a great job at portraying a very specific feeling. Eilish is both a strong songwriter and singer already.

While ‘bury a friend,’ and Eilish’s work more generally, is not my personal favorite, I understand why people are drawn to it. I suggest checking it out for yourself.