For someone who’s been looking forward to this album since Billie’s first single Therefore I am, it’s embarrassing to say that I am late to the party. Jokes aside, though I’ve yet to listen to Billie’s first project, her second project, When We All Fall Asleep Where Do We Go, left a great impression on me. With timeless tracks like all the good girls go to hell, when the party’s over, and i love you, Billie has proved herself to be worthy of all the praise she received.
Knowing that it has been more than two years since her last album, Billie’s fans (including me) have been starving for new content, especially in these trying times when all entertainment involving going outside is canceled.
A week after the release, I finally paid a visit to the Happier Than Ever era. Here is my reaction to selected songs of the album and the rating of every song of the release.
Track One: Getting Older
The opening track, the introductory song to the new era. I thought the song had a great message, which was about the consequences of growing up and what we gain/lose during the process. However, with the potential that it had, the song was not produced to be an opener. It completely threw me off when I pressed play and I questioned if I pressed shuffle by accident. Though not all opening songs need to be upbeat or lifting, I believe the opening songs of an album are essential to whether or not you can keep the audience, which means a climax is necessary in most cases. For me, the first track of this album failed to provide a climax.
Track Two: I Didn’t Change My Number
Leaving the first track with mixed feelings, I was quickly captivated by the production of the second song, I Didn’t Change My Number. With the track, though the production resembles much of her last album, we are introduced to a new and “happier than ever’ Billie. As she expresses how she didn’t change her number, just her attitude towards people who just aren’t worth her time anymore.
Track Five: Oxytocin
Being on Twitter quite often, I have heard mixed opinions about this song, in which the spectrum is bipolar, you either hate it or you love it. For me, I’m on the “love it” side of the spectrum. I thought this was the track where she truly added new elements to her production and departed from her last era.
Track Six: GOLDWING
If Oxytocin was the track that Billie experimented with the most in the aspect of production, GOLDWING is the track where she experimented vocally and conceptually. The introduction was a reference to an ancient Hindu poem that was translated, a historical reference in a song is something that Billie hasn’t done before to my knowledge. In addition, how she used her voice throughout the song is one of the reasons why this song is one of my top from the album.
This is an incredibly important song addressing all the nasty criticism that not just Billie, but anyone does not deserve. With that being said, I see this track more as included in the first album listening experience and not having much replay value.
Track Thirteen: NDA
This was one of the songs to be released as a single from the album, I thought lyrically and production-wise it kept me intrigued the whole way through. Definitely a stand-out from the album and a song to be kept on replay.
Track Sixteen: Male Fantasy
The previous track (also the title track) Happier Than Ever, I thought was a perfect way to end the album. It was peculiar to find out that there was another track after that. Listening through this final track, I thought it was definitely worthy to be on the album, but not the placement it received. It reminded me of Getting Older, the opening track, with both tracks feeling like misplaced songs in the album. I’m sure Billie had a great reason to place every song on the album where they are, which I respect, but for me personally, the experience felt peculiar during the opening and ending songs.
Rating:
Album Average: 8.54~/10
Getting Older - 6.7/10
I Didn’t Change My Number - 8.3/10
Billie Bossa Nova - 8.7/10
my future - 8.5/10
Oxytocin - 8.5/10
GOLDWING - 9.1/10
Lost Cause - 8.4/10
Halley’s Comet - 9.3/10
Not My Responsibility - 8.5/10
OverHeated - 8/10
Everybody Dies - 7.6/10
Your Power - 9.2/10
NDA - 9.4/10
Therefore I Am - 8.2/10
Happier Than Ever - 9.5/10
Male Fantasy - 8.7/10
To conclude, I want to emphasize that every album listening experience is special in its own way, and I am grateful to Billie for providing me with every single song on the album to listen to, regardless of how much I enjoyed them. I look forward to future singles of this album and what Billie has to bring to the table of Pop Music, especially during times when entertainment is necessary.
Comments