HIT ME HARD AND SOFT

HIT ME HARD AND SOFT is one of those albums you return to again and again. I love raw Billie. There’s something about the way she puts words to emotions most of us can’t even name. It’s poetry. It's magnetic. It's everything.

The album opens with “SKINNY,” and immediately, I was gutted. This track hits me somewhere deep in my core in a way I can’t explain. It’s an anthem to all girls, yes, but Billie is letting us into something incredibly personal. The vulnerability is palpable. Just as quickly, she flips the mood. “LUNCH” is playful, flirty, and addictive. I could listen to this song forever. It makes me want to eat a lollipop and bounce around.

“CHIHRO” is seductive—it pulls you in without even trying. Then there's “BIRDS OF A FEATHER." When the album dropped and before this song exploded, I wanted it to be my first dance at my wedding. There’s something so whimsical and lovely about it—I just want to twirl about and cry: I’ll love you till the day that I die…

“WILDFLOWER” is my #1 emo track, I love whiny singing it. “THE GREATEST” feels like a song written to my high school self. And then there's “L’AMOUR DE MA VIE.” I genuinely don’t recognize this as Billie when I hear it on a random playlist. It’s unexpected to me yet it's my favorite track of the album.

Finally, “BLUE.” It’s the perfect ending. It ties the whole album together: the blue feelings, the blue water, the callback to “Birds of a Feather.” Fin!

This Billie is vulnerable and vast. I cry, I dance, I ache, and I smile. In my opinion, it’s Billie at her purest and most unforgettable. Thank you Billie, I love you.

- Ali , May 24, 2025