Hi all, this is something we’ve wanted to try for a long time, and we hope you enjoy our first attempt at an album discussion video! If you’ve heard HIT ME HARD AND SOFT, we’d love to know what you think. Thanks for watching, and, if you’re new here, we’d love to know what you think of our music, too! 🧡
1:01:00 There was a time when reviewers could not review music without wearing a specific genre hat. If the genre didn't match your interest, you had no business reviewing. Genre as we know is a marketing category when record stores sold music in separate bins. Same goes with songs. We cannot review music by what should or shouldn't be in a song. What comes before where. All those habits are antiquated. They come from serialized consumption of art in the old days of radio and TV packaged for just the right length of play (usually 3 min and 30 seconds) before the next commercial break. You guys debating which song breaks and switch ups, or what half of the song was better, does not make sense. The flow and aesthetic experience of music as art is one continuous medium. That's how you should also review, without concern for song boundaries or genre bins. But your comments about song structure, melodies, beats, etc., are valid and fun to listen to.
The aquarium reference with the petting zoo is so perfect (she’s petting her lunch 😅) and the idea of sinking deeper and deeper into the water is so spot on
What you said about the fact that you listen to the album as a whole 45 minute thing: hard same. It feels like one big thing and I listen to it on repeat as a whole, and it feels like that’s the only way I can listen to it.
Same. And I have been watching reactions to the whole album, none of the songs as “ singles “, and really only the music videos that are included in full album reactions. I ALWAYS cry during SKINNY, recover during LUNCH and from that point on I just cry because IT IS JUST SO DAMN GOOD! I also love to hear what people’s top favorites are because they are so different.
@@iamlpinthe312 My favourites change every time I listen to the album, it’s impossible. They change with my mood, too. I think there’s a reason so many reactors are like “no, actually, THIS is the best song on the album” with each new song lol. I think it’s also a case of, sometimes I’m more in tune with the lyrics and in a melancholic mindset. Sometimes I’m angry and the rhythm and beats have more of an impact. Sometimes I feel goofy, and need to calm down, so her vocals take priority. Sometimes I feel goofy and want to move my body to release that energy, so it’s all about the getting lost in intensity. Sometimes I’m in an intellectual mood and I’ll dissect the technical details so that changes the preferences entirely once again. I have different looking ranking depending on the question. Like, just asking “what’s your favourites” won’t do. It has to be more precise, like, “what’s the ranking in term of vocals? Whats the ranking in terms of flow, bars, lyricism? What’s the ranking in terms of danceability? What’s the ranking in terms of rip my heart out and stomp on it? What’s the ranking in terms of vibes only? What’s the ranking in terms of innovation and experimentation? What’s the ranking in terms of which types of moods? What’s the ranking…” you get the picture.
this was very interesting to watch! To me Wildflower, The Greatest, and L'amour de Ma Vie feels a bit like a trilogy, viewing it as a story. The story begins in 'Wildflower' where she, after helping her friend through a break-up, gets together with her friends ex and feels guilty (or something in that line) about it, and can't let it go. The story then continues into 'The Greatest' where in she's expressing not feeling valued in her relationship and the disappointment in seeing someone's potential to be great but they're, for whatever reason, not putting in the effort to reach it. and then finally the story ends in 'L'amour de Ma Vie' where in the first part of the song she's watching him move on (or try to move on, who knows) and being kinda like "well i never really liked you anyway" whether that honest or what she's trying to tell herself i don't know. She's then, in the second part of the song, reconnecting with the friend in 'Wildflower' and now they are sorta back on even ground, as well as united in the disappointment with their ex. They're also like "he sucks! let's go party!" lol. It's not necessarily a 100% straight forward story, the greatest might not fit as well into the story, but either way it's how i experience it when i listen. (this is also just how i experience it as a story being told and it's not something i claim to be the reality of her real life haha.) Regarding the diner, I'm not sure, but i feel like, since it's from the perspective of the stalker, they don't see themselves as the "bad guy" (pUNintended) it makes sense to me that the music isn't more sinister or creepy. It's almost like the darkness in the song comes from the dark emotions the stalker is feeling, like the jealously and the obsession. but then there is also the fantasy that their subject reciprocates the stalkers feelings. so the music sounds almost like an idyllic fantasy gone dark, what with the whole french vibe, and paris being the "city of love" and all. with the diner i also can't help but feel like with the phone number at the end and the message you get if you call it, while partly being a fun easter egg, also connects the obsession of a stalker and the obsession of fans and stan culture. The greatest felt like a natural evolution of happier than ever. I loved happier than ever, but I'm also someone who enjoys distortion and the "wall of sound" feeling haha. but happier than ever feels to me more like it ends in an explosion of feelings you didn't realize you had, where it's sudden and you are so angry and hurt that you just want to scream, and then afterwards you feel free because you didn't know it was weighing on you. whereas the greatest feels more like a gradual build to finally saying the things that have been on your mind, it's still expressing hurt but i feel like it's less angry than HTE and more frustrated and unsatisfied. the climax of the song still feels just as powerful. i think it's probably a good thing that the song builds gradually rather than suddenly, as it avoids feeling as if it's trying to recreate Happier than ever. it's also very interesting to see the growth of her as an artist in her music. hit me hard and soft wasn't really what i was expecting from her but it also somehow feels like a very obvious evolution of her sound. idk, but it feels almost like a mix of her previous albums in addition to her appearing more at peace with herself and having been an adult for the entire making of the album, and trying things she wants to try. this got really long, sorry. i hope you have a good day!
Thanks so much for leaving all your thoughts!! I can definitely see "Wildflower" - "L'Amoure..." being a continuous story - you could probably even back up to "Birds of a Feather" and say that that was her falling blindly in love with this person only to watch it fall apart in the upcoming tacks, if you wanted to be depressing 😅. This record has great flow to it either way! I think "The Diner" sounds plenty unsettled and stalker-ish already, it was more the way the vocals were mixed that made it tough for me to hear what it was about until later listens. But I do think it's a great song! It's been great to see this album perform so well - I never could've imagined when we recorded this review that the album would be such a mainstream success when it seemed like was trying to avoid the trapping of 'pop' music. It's really reinvigorated my interest in Billie as an artist, and it'll be interesting to see where she goes next!
@@ohgeeeznotagain thank you for your reply! i do really love the flow of this record, i think it's pretty cool that they managed to make an album where the songs sound so different from each other but the album also feels incredibly cohesive. and yeah that's fair about the vocals! i almost always have to read the lyrics to actually absorb what people are singing either way, so in that way the experience wasn't out of the norm for me haha. I also think it will be very interesting to see where she goes next!
Oh good lord, you’re right?! Crossing the line at the half point. Please. It’s so good. I wonder if “Did I cross the line?” is actually placed in the middle of the record, time wise? On the vinyl Wildflower is the last song on side A so it could actually be the case 🤩
Regarding the Diner, it evokes so many cultural 80s/90s associations for me. From Every breath you take by the police, even Stan by Eminem in 2000, to Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction and Natural Born Killers. I think that it’s plenty creepy the way it was produced but I must admit I vibe so hard with those little metal string grazing riffs that sound like laughter that I end up just dancing rather than feel anxious or creeped out. I think that The Diner could have really benefited from the slowing down distorted beat of Bittersuit just before the synth outro. Regardless of how I maybe would have driven home the sonic storytelling, the song makes me vibe so hard. And they’re so good at storytelling that it makes me wonder if maybe there’s a point they’re making here that I keep missing because I’m dancing lol
Birds aren’t necessarily woodsy, but more so soaring, and I agree that’s what she was going for even just based on the vocal choices for parts of the melody. I can absolutely “see” the “soaring. Then I thought about the snorkelling above a reef image you mention, and I actually think that it’s a great water based comparison to draw to flying / floating / soaring. So the snorkelling joy shared with a crush totally fits.
L’amour de ma vie does say that it has two parts in the lyrics, so technically it actually is a two part song, just like you suggested. I actually like the contrast, especially after I’ve seen someone say that the synthetic quality of the effect on her voice in a way implies the emotional sincerity of the content itself. Which made me look at the songs and the album in a completely different light.
This is great! I love hearing two musicians nerd out about other music. Is this a weekly thing, or only with albums you both feel passionate about (the new twenty one pilots album is next week~)
![I.N "HALLUCINATION" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/n5B5q1Hwt_U/mqdefault.jpg)
Hi all, this is something we’ve wanted to try for a long time, and we hope you enjoy our first attempt at an album discussion video! If you’ve heard HIT ME HARD AND SOFT, we’d love to know what you think. Thanks for watching, and, if you’re new here, we’d love to know what you think of our music, too! 🧡
1:01:00 There was a time when reviewers could not review music without wearing a specific genre hat. If the genre didn't match your interest, you had no business reviewing. Genre as we know is a marketing category when record stores sold music in separate bins.
Same goes with songs. We cannot review music by what should or shouldn't be in a song. What comes before where. All those habits are antiquated. They come from serialized consumption of art in the old days of radio and TV packaged for just the right length of play (usually 3 min and 30 seconds) before the next commercial break.
You guys debating which song breaks and switch ups, or what half of the song was better, does not make sense. The flow and aesthetic experience of music as art is one continuous medium. That's how you should also review, without concern for song boundaries or genre bins.
But your comments about song structure, melodies, beats, etc., are valid and fun to listen to.
Thanks for watching!
The aquarium reference with the petting zoo is so perfect (she’s petting her lunch 😅) and the idea of sinking deeper and deeper into the water is so spot on
She says she comps all her vocals herself!
34:06 agreed, the more she strays from traditional structures the more I like it
What you said about the fact that you listen to the album as a whole 45 minute thing: hard same. It feels like one big thing and I listen to it on repeat as a whole, and it feels like that’s the only way I can listen to it.
Same. And I have been watching reactions to the whole album, none of the songs as “ singles “, and really only the music videos that are included in full album reactions. I ALWAYS cry during SKINNY, recover during LUNCH and from that point on I just cry because IT IS JUST SO DAMN GOOD!
I also love to hear what people’s top favorites are because they are so different.
@@iamlpinthe312 My favourites change every time I listen to the album, it’s impossible. They change with my mood, too. I think there’s a reason so many reactors are like “no, actually, THIS is the best song on the album” with each new song lol. I think it’s also a case of, sometimes I’m more in tune with the lyrics and in a melancholic mindset. Sometimes I’m angry and the rhythm and beats have more of an impact. Sometimes I feel goofy, and need to calm down, so her vocals take priority. Sometimes I feel goofy and want to move my body to release that energy, so it’s all about the getting lost in intensity. Sometimes I’m in an intellectual mood and I’ll dissect the technical details so that changes the preferences entirely once again. I have different looking ranking depending on the question. Like, just asking “what’s your favourites” won’t do. It has to be more precise, like, “what’s the ranking in term of vocals? Whats the ranking in terms of flow, bars, lyricism? What’s the ranking in terms of danceability? What’s the ranking in terms of rip my heart out and stomp on it? What’s the ranking in terms of vibes only? What’s the ranking in terms of innovation and experimentation? What’s the ranking in terms of which types of moods? What’s the ranking…” you get the picture.
this was very interesting to watch!
To me Wildflower, The Greatest, and L'amour de Ma Vie feels a bit like a trilogy, viewing it as a story.
The story begins in 'Wildflower' where she, after helping her friend through a break-up, gets together with her friends ex and feels guilty (or something in that line) about it, and can't let it go.
The story then continues into 'The Greatest' where in she's expressing not feeling valued in her relationship and the disappointment in seeing someone's potential to be great but they're, for whatever reason, not putting in the effort to reach it.
and then finally the story ends in 'L'amour de Ma Vie' where in the first part of the song she's watching him move on (or try to move on, who knows) and being kinda like "well i never really liked you anyway" whether that honest or what she's trying to tell herself i don't know. She's then, in the second part of the song, reconnecting with the friend in 'Wildflower' and now they are sorta back on even ground, as well as united in the disappointment with their ex. They're also like "he sucks! let's go party!" lol.
It's not necessarily a 100% straight forward story, the greatest might not fit as well into the story, but either way it's how i experience it when i listen. (this is also just how i experience it as a story being told and it's not something i claim to be the reality of her real life haha.)
Regarding the diner, I'm not sure, but i feel like, since it's from the perspective of the stalker, they don't see themselves as the "bad guy" (pUNintended) it makes sense to me that the music isn't more sinister or creepy. It's almost like the darkness in the song comes from the dark emotions the stalker is feeling, like the jealously and the obsession. but then there is also the fantasy that their subject reciprocates the stalkers feelings. so the music sounds almost like an idyllic fantasy gone dark, what with the whole french vibe, and paris being the "city of love" and all.
with the diner i also can't help but feel like with the phone number at the end and the message you get if you call it, while partly being a fun easter egg, also connects the obsession of a stalker and the obsession of fans and stan culture.
The greatest felt like a natural evolution of happier than ever. I loved happier than ever, but I'm also someone who enjoys distortion and the "wall of sound" feeling haha. but happier than ever feels to me more like it ends in an explosion of feelings you didn't realize you had, where it's sudden and you are so angry and hurt that you just want to scream, and then afterwards you feel free because you didn't know it was weighing on you. whereas the greatest feels more like a gradual build to finally saying the things that have been on your mind, it's still expressing hurt but i feel like it's less angry than HTE and more frustrated and unsatisfied. the climax of the song still feels just as powerful. i think it's probably a good thing that the song builds gradually rather than suddenly, as it avoids feeling as if it's trying to recreate Happier than ever.
it's also very interesting to see the growth of her as an artist in her music. hit me hard and soft wasn't really what i was expecting from her but it also somehow feels like a very obvious evolution of her sound. idk, but it feels almost like a mix of her previous albums in addition to her appearing more at peace with herself and having been an adult for the entire making of the album, and trying things she wants to try.
this got really long, sorry. i hope you have a good day!
Thanks so much for leaving all your thoughts!! I can definitely see "Wildflower" - "L'Amoure..." being a continuous story - you could probably even back up to "Birds of a Feather" and say that that was her falling blindly in love with this person only to watch it fall apart in the upcoming tacks, if you wanted to be depressing 😅. This record has great flow to it either way!
I think "The Diner" sounds plenty unsettled and stalker-ish already, it was more the way the vocals were mixed that made it tough for me to hear what it was about until later listens. But I do think it's a great song!
It's been great to see this album perform so well - I never could've imagined when we recorded this review that the album would be such a mainstream success when it seemed like was trying to avoid the trapping of 'pop' music. It's really reinvigorated my interest in Billie as an artist, and it'll be interesting to see where she goes next!
@@ohgeeeznotagain thank you for your reply! i do really love the flow of this record, i think it's pretty cool that they managed to make an album where the songs sound so different from each other but the album also feels incredibly cohesive.
and yeah that's fair about the vocals! i almost always have to read the lyrics to actually absorb what people are singing either way, so in that way the experience wasn't out of the norm for me haha.
I also think it will be very interesting to see where she goes next!
Love the aquarium analogy
Thanks!
Great discussion-Thanks!
Thanks for watching!
Oh good lord, you’re right?! Crossing the line at the half point. Please. It’s so good. I wonder if “Did I cross the line?” is actually placed in the middle of the record, time wise? On the vinyl Wildflower is the last song on side A so it could actually be the case 🤩
Every detail about this record seems very intentional, so I would not be surprised if that was true!
Regarding the Diner, it evokes so many cultural 80s/90s associations for me. From Every breath you take by the police, even Stan by Eminem in 2000, to Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction and Natural Born Killers. I think that it’s plenty creepy the way it was produced but I must admit I vibe so hard with those little metal string grazing riffs that sound like laughter that I end up just dancing rather than feel anxious or creeped out. I think that The Diner could have really benefited from the slowing down distorted beat of Bittersuit just before the synth outro. Regardless of how I maybe would have driven home the sonic storytelling, the song makes me vibe so hard. And they’re so good at storytelling that it makes me wonder if maybe there’s a point they’re making here that I keep missing because I’m dancing lol
Those are some great comparisons! Definitely agree that some kind of glitchy slowdown would’ve added more menace to it. But it is certainly a vibe!
I always wondered who'd go to the AMC event. Now I know, all other musicians. Great discussion, dudes. Nice points-of-view you bring.
Thanks for listening to us ramble! Glad you enjoyed it!
Birds aren’t necessarily woodsy, but more so soaring, and I agree that’s what she was going for even just based on the vocal choices for parts of the melody. I can absolutely “see” the “soaring. Then I thought about the snorkelling above a reef image you mention, and I actually think that it’s a great water based comparison to draw to flying / floating / soaring. So the snorkelling joy shared with a crush totally fits.
Glad you liked Sean’s aquarium scenes - he’s very proud of those! 😅
I think The Diner could also be a single, structurally speaking. Regarding the second half of the song not having singles as much as the first.
That is true - sonically, I think it would be a hard sell, but structurally and melodically it fits a more traditional mold
L’amour de ma vie does say that it has two parts in the lyrics, so technically it actually is a two part song, just like you suggested. I actually like the contrast, especially after I’ve seen someone say that the synthetic quality of the effect on her voice in a way implies the emotional sincerity of the content itself. Which made me look at the songs and the album in a completely different light.
This is great! I love hearing two musicians nerd out about other music. Is this a weekly thing, or only with albums you both feel passionate about (the new twenty one pilots album is next week~)
Thanks! We’ll see how often we end up doing this, but we definitely have twenty one pilots on the calendar for next week!!
Very very good album.
Indeed!
I don’t think you can call her pop at all.
Is that Bo burnham's inside I see there in the background?😮😮
Yes! Alex has great taste in vinyls!