On July 30, 2021, 6-time Grammy winner Billie Eilish released her sophomore album, Happier Than Ever. This album has been highly anticipated since the release of her first album, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?. This jazz and electro-pop album contains 16 tracks, all produced by Eilish’s brother and business partner, Finneas O’Connell. In an overall summary of the album, Eilish has cited it as “her personal reflection of the COVID-19 pandemic.” 

Every track in Happier Than Ever takes you down a deep journey into a specific time in Eilish’s life. For example, the opening song “Getting Older”, talks about past trauma, and how “Things I once enjoyed, just keep me employed now.” The fear in Eilish’s life continues as “NDA” describes the intense terror of paparazzi and stalkers. Billie Eilish has never had a problem sharing some of her darkest times in her music, and she has said many times that writing these songs and putting them out for the world to hear has made her a better person and has helped her grow as an individual. In an Instagram post the day the album dropped, Eilish said, “I grew so much in the process of making this album and experienced so much self-realization and self-reflection.”

Happier Than Ever has taken the title of the 7th best-selling album of 2021, and was No. 1 on the Billboard list for two weeks. Eilish announced the album release three months in advance, giving plenty of time for fans to get hyped up. In those three months, Eilish continued to drop singles and teasers from her upcoming album. Her singles were met with mass approval from fans, and they increased the anticipation for her new album tenfold. So far, the album has received some mixed reviews. Many Eilish fans argue that it is a strong second album, particularly for those looking for something more sentimental and reflective. For example, one fan took to Twitter and wrote, “I need to apologize to everyone I know because Happier Than Ever by Billie Eilish is the only album I’ll be listening to for a long time.” Others argue that it was a disappointment after Eilish’s hit first album, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? 

After listening to Happier Than Ever, I can definitely say that I am an avid Billie Eilish fan. There are so many elements in her album that make it so interesting and well done. I really loved the acoustic and raw singing in each of the songs, and it is obvious that the songs truly are a part of her and that she has worked very hard on the lyrics. One of my favorite lines is, “Things I’m longing for/Someday, I’ll be bored of.” Another more explicitly clear lyric is from “NDA” where she says, “There are stalkers walking up and down the streets.”  Many albums and songs can gloss over the more difficult parts of the artist’s life, but Eilish has made sure that her fans know every side of her, including the parts that aren’t so pretty. While I do think each of these songs brings something unique to the table, my personal favorite was “Billie Bossa Nova” because of the bright tempo and hard beat. I also really liked how she turned each song into a story and made listeners excited to hear what was going to happen next.

Overall, I would give this album a 9/10 for Eilish’s sheer talent and amazing rock beats in all the songs.  In conclusion, this album is definitely worth listening to, and I cannot wait for Billie Eilish’s next album!