Albums to watch

Happier Than Ever

Billie Eilish

Happier Than Ever

Second album from the Los Angeles-born pop singer-songwriter was produced by her brother Finneas O'Connell

ADM rating[?]

8.2

Label
Darkroom / Interscope
UK Release date
30/07/2021
US Release date
30/07/2021
  1. 10.0 |   NME

    Tackling fame and misogyny with old-timey Hollywood glamour, the star has repeated the success of her stellar debut – without repeating any of its tricks
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  2. 10.0 |   Evening Standard

    She still doesn’t sound anything like a glossy arena filler, which is a huge part of her appeal. She’s doing things very differently, which hopefully means a new way to survive too
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  3. 10.0 |   Gigwise

    Quiet confidence, brutal honesty and powerful sexuality
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  4. 10.0 |   Vinyl Chapters

    From the moment it begins all the way to the final few seconds, Happier Than Ever dazzles and stands tall as one of the most outstanding pop albums in years
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  5. 10.0 |   DIY

    Not just a triumph in progressing a signature sound into new territories, but a lesson in how to own your reality with confidence and class
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  6. 9.0 |   Albumism

    There is an elegance to this album that is hard to explain and even quantify, especially given some of the lyrical content, but it exists and is done with a bona fide confidence that is so refreshing to not only listen to, but also to watch unfold before our eyes
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  7. 9.0 |   Northern Transmissions

    It is a beautiful album and one that will inspire and provoke conversations for many years to come
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  8. 9.0 |   All Music

    Delivering on the promise of her industry-shaking debut with confidence and grace, Happier Than Ever has the markings of a big career moment, one that signals artistic growth and hints at even more greatness to come
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  9. 8.6 |   Sputnik Music (staff)

    The results are daring, but she’s succeeded in making the best pop album of 2021, thus far
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  10. 8.5 |   The Quietus

    She’s made a big shiny pop LP that also chronicles the experiences of a teenager on an emotional downward spiral and wondering when and if they will see daylight again
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  11. 8.3 |   A.V. Club

    A smart, ambitious record that never stops interrogating itself
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  12. 8.0 |   Exclaim

    Although she experiments with new genres on this album and shows more maturity in her lyrics, her sound for the most part doesn't change
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  13. 8.0 |   The Arts Desk

    These are guttering torch songs, for a generation flinching from definition
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  14. 8.0 |   Paste Magazine

    Generally, much of the production on Happier Than Ever serves to bolster Billie’s vocals and thoughtful lyrics, while adding little character of its own
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  15. 8.0 |   Rolling Stone

    Her sophomore album documents her fears and traumas and still manages to sound astonishingly self-assured
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  16. 8.0 |   The Irish Times

    In what seems to be a battle with her own psyche, she plays her vulnerabilities outright but frequently slips into the role of the villain, highlighting the tipping point of a person under pressure
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  17. 8.0 |   The Observer

    The teenage alt-pop sensation grows up and gets loose on her bold, retro-toned second album
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  18. 8.0 |   musicOMH

    An album that consolidates and enhances Billie Eilish’s reputation as one of the stellar figures of her generation
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  19. 8.0 |   Clash

    Patiently moving into a new era, ‘Happier Than Ever’ is shrouded in a transformative darkness
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  20. 8.0 |   The Independent

    The 19-year-old fills her second album with things most of us don’t have to deal with – NDAs, interviews, paparazzi – and yet she weaves them around universal woes
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  21. 8.0 |   The Guardian

    On perhaps the most anticipated album of 2021, Eilish uses subdued yet powerful songwriting to consider how fame has seeped into every corner of her life
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  22. 8.0 |   Slant Magazine

    The songs on Billie Eilish’s Happier Than Ever seamlessly trace the singer’s path to happiness, or something close to it
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  23. 7.6 |   Pitchfork

    Billie Eilish sings with unsparing honesty about her rapid ascent to stardom and all its accompanying horrors. It’s woozy, effortlessly melodic, and showcases her command over the pop landscape
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  24. 7.5 |   Under The Radar

    Feels like a project that will age more gracefully and, in years to come, it may even come to eclipse that which came before it
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  25. 7.4 |   Beats Per Minute

    Aesthetically, it may be polarizing compared to the hit factory that was her debut, but Happier Than Ever stands on its own as a powerfully flawed, overstuffed, but meaningful exploration of what it’s like to live as both a teenager and a superstar in ways that none before her felt comfortable saying
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  26. 7.0 |   Loud And Quiet

    She has made an empathetic record about the pitfalls of a gilded life, and she’s done it with everybody staring at her. That, in itself, commands respect
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  27. 7.0 |   Spectrum Culture

    Eilish is such an instinctive artist that she can’t help but make her album about the pitfalls of fame immensely entertaining
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  28. 7.0 |   PopMatters

    At roughly 56 minutes in length, Happier loses traction occasionally and would’ve benefited from further vetting, particularly mid-sequence
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  29. 6.0 |   The Line Of Best Fit

    Whether they’re channelling disruption or embodying conformity or - in the case of Happier Than Ever - just making music for sheer enjoyment, Eilish’s loyal fans will surely follow
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