What can we expect from ‘Hit Me Hard and Soft’, the new Billie Eilish album?

Following the success of her previous studio works: When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? (2019) and 2021′s Happier than Ever, nine-time Grammy winner Billie Eilish is back with her third studio offering as Hit Me Hard and Soft gets its global release on 17 May via Darkroom/Interscope.

The album comprises of ten tracks, running at 43 minutes with all songs co-written by the 22-year-old with the record produced by her brother Finneas O’Connell with Eilish deciding on not releasing any singles ahead of the album so fans ‘can enjoy it all at once’.

Hit Me Hard and Soft: tracklist

Hit Me Hard and Soft formats

There will be eight different coloured vinyl versions of Hit Me Hard and Soft which are available via the Billie Eilish website along with standard CD, cassette and digital versions of the album.

An extensive tour has also been confirmed to support the album with Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour kicking off in the Canadian city of Quebec on 29 September. Dates in the USA pre Christmas are followed by shows in Australia next year with the action winding up in Europe with shows planned in the likes of Paris, London and Barcelona before the curtain comes down for the final time in Dublin (Ireland) on 27 July.

Early feedback

With pre-release copies of the album being sent to major outlets ahead of its commercial launch date, initial feedback for the album is unanimously positive.

The Guardian’s music critic Alexis Petridis claims that the record is: ‘A bold move in a pop world where audiences are usually depicted as suffering from an attention deficit that requires instant gratification’.

USA Today state that Hit Me Hard and Soft is ‘a testimony to adoration with a hint of the macabre - Eilish specialties bundled in a perfect package.

Finally, iconic British music outlet, the NME states that the album is ‘bold, brilliant and somewhat brighter’.