Hit Me Hard and Soft is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter Billie Eilish, released on May 17, 2024, through Darkroom and Interscope Records. She co-wrote it with her brother and frequent collaborator, Finneas O'Connell, who also serves as its producer. Stylistically, it has been labeled an alternative pop and bedroom pop record.
Hit Me Hard and Soft received universal acclaim from critics who praised the production, songwriting, and vocal performances. It topped the charts in over 20 countries, including Australia, Canada, Germany, Ireland, New Zealand, Spain, and the United Kingdom. In the United States, it peaked at number two on the Billboard 200 and charted all 10 of its songs in the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100. It spawned four singles: "Lunch", "Birds of a Feather", "Chihiro", and "Wildflower", all of which achieved commercial success. To support the album, Eilish embarked on Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour from September 2024 to November 2025. A concert film documenting its Manchester shows was theatrically released in May 2026.
At the 67th Annual Grammy Awards, the album and its songs received a total of seven nominations, including Album of the Year, Best Pop Vocal Album, Song of the Year, and Record of the Year. "Wildflower" won Song of the Year at the following ceremony, making Eilish and O'Connell the artists with the most wins in the category. They also tied Adele, Bruno Mars, and Paul Simon for the most wins in the General Field, with seven each.
Background and recording Eilish co-wrote and recorded her second studio album, Happier Than Ever, at her brother Finneas O'Connell's home recording studio, located in the basement of his Los Angeles residence. Recording took place weekly between April 2020 and February 2021, with the track listing finalized by the duo during creation. Released on July 30, 2021, Happier Than Ever was met with critical acclaim and commercial success, topping the Billboard 200 and receiving two nominations at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards. Eilish surprise-released her second extended play, Guitar Songs, in July 2022. The following year, she released "What Was I Made For?" for the soundtrack to the fantasy-comedy film Barbie (2023); she was inspired to write the song after seeing unfinished scenes of the film during its production. The song won the Academy Award for Best Original Song and Grammy Awards for Song of the Year and Best Song Written for Visual Media.
Eilish began formulating ideas for her third studio album with O'Connell in December 2021. In an interview with Zane Lowe for Apple Music, she mentioned that she hoped to start writing it in 2023. In December 2023, Eilish said on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon that it was "almost done". Three months later, she confirmed that it had been mastered.
Artwork The album art, which was shot by underwater photographer William Drumm, depicts Eilish falling through a door frame into dark blue water. Eilish described the photoshoot, which took six hours to complete and involved her being repeatedly submerged for two minutes at a time with a weight attached to her shoulders and without goggles or nose plugs, as being one of the most painful experiences of her life.
Composition Music and themes Musically, Hit Me Hard and Soft has been described as an alternative pop and bedroom pop record with influences of electronic music, soft rock, jazz, folk, and orchestral music. Lyrically, it addresses themes of romantic disappointment, desire, body image, depression, fame, betrayal, anxiety, mental illness, romance, death, unhealthy relationship dynamics, isolation, emotional distance, heartbreak, and acceptance. French critic Le Monde framed it as a turn toward romantic tenderness while retaining the darker, more haunting qualities of Eilish's earlier work.
Critics described the album as cohesive yet eclectic alt-pop that shifts from subdued acoustic guitars, softer electronic pulses, and ambient soundscapes to harsher bass drops, dance-influenced passages, and rock crescendos. Amanda Petrusich of The New Yorker described it as centered on anxious love songs and similarly noted its movement between delicate ballads and more forceful moments. Alexis Petridis of The Guardian highlighted the increasingly darker and episodic second half, in which songs frequently change mood, tempo, and arrangement before arriving somewhere different from where they began.
Eilish sings throughout much of Hit Me Hard and Soft in her signature restrained, close-mic vocal style, frequently using layered harmonies and multitracked vocals as an integral part of its production. Pitchfork highlighted the record's dense vocal layering, while noting that its arrangements also include live drums from Andrew Marshall and strings from the Attacca Quartet. However, critics also highlighted moments in which she uses more powerful upper-register belting unheard on her previous material, particularly on "The Greatest" and "Birds of a Feather". In an Apple Music interview with Zane Lowe, Eilish said the album pushed her to expand herself vocally, more than any of her previous records.
Songs Hit Me Hard and Soft opens with the track "Skinny", which eases the listener into its moody soundscape with soft reverberated electric guitar, sweeping strings, and close, exposed vocals from Eilish. It is reflective and introspective, as Eilish analyzes her insecurities in a stream of consciousness style, primarily addressing newfound adulthood, body image, and the pressure of fame and public judgment in the digital age. The album then shifts into "Lunch", a playful and sexually charged track with influences of synth-rock and post-punk. The song uses playful food imagery as a metaphor for same-sex desire, emphasizing lust and physical attraction for another woman, and introducing a more explicit side of Eilish's songwriting. The third track, "Chihiro", features atmospheric, house-inspired production and pulsing arpeggiated synths that slowly build tension over its five-minute runtime. Eilish's haunting, ethereal vocal delivery adds to the song's "hypnotic" and emotionally distant mood.
The fourth track, "Birds of a Feather", is a romantic and bittersweet indie pop song with dreamy, new wave-influenced production and subtly morbid undertones. Lyrically, the song expresses deep devotion to a romantic partner through themes of unconditional love, death, and intense emotional attachment. Eilish has said this song pushed her vocally, as her brighter vocal delivery builds to what she called the highest belt of her career. "Wildflower" is a sentimental, slow-burning folk-inspired ballad centered on Eilish's experiences with guilt after dating a female friend's ex-boyfriend. The song begins with tender acoustic guitar and eerie ambient sounds before Eilish enters with an intimate, soulful vocal delivery. It builds to an emotional climax in the bridge, where she sings "did I cross the line?" over crashing drums and guitars, then descends into a hazy acoustic outro with Eilish repeating the bridge's lyrics in a hushed tone.
"The Greatest", the sixth track, is a passionate folk and rock song that critics likened to a mature successor to "Happier Than Ever" (2021). Lyrically, the song finds Eilish attempting to process the devastating effects of a neglectful and emotionally absent partner, using the sarcastic refrain "man, am I the greatest" to express the emotional pain she endured in the relationship. The song crescendos into a heavier second half featuring electric guitars and belted vocals that heighten its cathartic intensity. "L'Amour de Ma Vie" continues the album's shapeshifting sonic tendencies, beginning as a retro, jazz-inflected breakup song with disaffected vocals and lyrics about moving on from a past relationship. Before it ends, the track flips into an energetic dance section, "Over Now", featuring emotive vocals filtered through AutoTune and electronic production drawing from hyperpop and 1980s synth-pop.
Eilish narrates the role of a stalker on the eerie, minimalist "The Diner", which features creeping bass, off-kilter percussion, and dark, carnival-like electronic production. Critics linked the song's sinister, character-driven storytelling to the macabre sound of her debut studio album, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? (2019). The ninth and penultimate track, "Bittersuite", is a musical suite that blends immersive electronic and downtempo elements as it moves through several distinct sections, while its lyrics explore private desire and emotional uncertainty. The track bridges into "Blue" through a hazy synth outro, foreshadowing the closing song's melody.
The closing track, "Blue", is a melancholic two-part song that reprises musical and lyrical motifs from earlier in the album while bringing its emotional themes to a close. Its first section, inspired by the unreleased track "True Blue", reflects on heartache, emotional detachment, and the inability to move on from a failed relationship, using the color blue as a repeated image of sadness and regret. The second half shifts into a darker, more atmospheric passage about the emotional wounds of the person Eilish addresses, using imagery such as "born bluer than a butterfly, beautiful and so deprived of oxygen" to suggest familial trauma and emotional deprivation. Eilish ultimately accepts that she cannot continue trying to change or save her partner, ending the relationship with empathy rather than anger. It is noted for its use of lyrics from previous songs, bringing a sense of full closure to its thematic story. These include "I thought we were the same, birds of a feather", referencing "Birds of a Feather"; "désolée, mon amour" from "L'Amour de Ma Vie"; "I'm trying my best" from "The Greatest"; "don't know what's in store / open up the door" from "Chihiro"; "still overseas" from "Bittersuite"; and "a bird in a cage" from "Skinny".
Release and promotion Hit Me Hard and Soft was released on May 17, 2024. It was available for cassette, CD, digital download, streaming, and vinyl LP. On May 19 and May 22, Eilish released for digital download the isolated vocals, slowed and reverb, and sped-up editions, respectively.
Marketing and tour
In early April 2024, various news articles reported that billboards teasing snippets of lyrics for Hit Me Hard and Soft had appeared in multiple cities in Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States; although they did not mention the artist's name, her signature "blohsh" was recognized. The promotional billboards displayed cryptic lyrics, including "She's the headlights I'm the deer" and "Did I cross the line?" Eilish later changed her profile picture to a "blue circle" and shared an image with the caption "Do you know how to bend?" Eilish added her Instagram followers to her "Close friends", a feature that allows limited accounts to see exclusive stories. The post features a "lo-fi" image showcasing the artist's hand and an image of her new midriff tattoo.