Billie Eilish: The New Bond Girl
by Adriana Lopez
If the Bond theme needs to meet the criteria of being written and performed by a talented, successful and current artist, those standards have been met by an 18 year old girl. Along with her 24 year old brother.
Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell hit stardom with the release of their debut album When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?, and watching their success since has felt like watching a tornado. The genre blending duo has uprooted the belief that recording studios are necessary with their bedroom produced album that won four Grammy Awards.
With an album that was released less than a year ago and a successful tour underway, you would think the siblings would take a break. But they clearly have a mission.
On Feb. 13th the duo released “No Time to Die”, a ballad that will sound strikingly different to anyone that has only heard radio singles off of When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?. For avid listeners, this is Eilish at her best. Solemn, dramatic, creepy, with a hint of a threat.
“I should have known// I’d leave alone// Just goes to show// That the blood you bleed is just the blood you owe”.
Within the first line we have dramatic and creepy Eilish, backed by that signature melodic piano.
The abandonment of a lover is making her feel the physical equivalent of being stabbed. For now there is just her blood, but that will soon change.
From the intro to the outro Eilish builds up a sense of betrayal that can throw anyone off the rails. With the rising melody from a piano and string ensemble we hear her reach a breaking point, then she makes a decision.
“Fool me once, fool me twice// Are you death or paradise?// Now you’ll never see me cry// There’s just no time to die”.
This is the signature lyricism that the siblings have gained popularity over. Is she deciding to never give her lover another chance? Is she going to kill them for their betrayal? This is where the true threat lies, as well as the genius.
The single’s release has been met with high praises, including praise from Johnny Marr, who joined Eilish and O’Connell to perform the single at the Brit Awards.
There is no telling what heights Eilish and O’Connell will reach, but they serve seamlessly as agents of Bond.
