Why Billie Eilish’s New Music is Making Us All Cry

graphic by Lucinda Strol

Let’s be honest. There is something about that eerie type of music that kind of scares you to your very soul that many people of our generation just can’t resist. Why is misery so in style? No one knows for sure. Maybe it’s because of how this style of music normalizes the overflowing of your emotions. Maybe actually expressing those emotions, whether they are good or bad, makes our generation feel more vindicated about how we feel. Whatever the reason is, there is no denying that this eerie, gory genre is prominent through documentaries, shows, and music. We see it in The Ted Bundy Tapes, Criminal Minds, and of course, Billie Eilish.

Billie Eilish is arguably the peak of something we at Jerk like to call, “misery music.” It’s the kind of music that just makes you want to ugly cry in your room and post some deep shit on your finsta (private Instagram) that you might regret later. Her new album titled When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go is already a reference to her dark side, asking the ever-burning question of what happens to us after death. Her songs in the album are no different with moody titles like, “Bury a Friend” and “Bad Guy.”

“Bury a Friend” is a song about Billie Eilish herself, but through the point of view of the so-called monster under her bed. The monster doubts whether or not Billie is actually scared of her. In reality, Billie was the monster all along. She was the friend that she was burying. In her own way, Eilish alludes to the idea of committing suicide. Not only does she sing about such a dark topic, but she finds a deep and meaningful way to describe her pain. She even goes as far as calling herself her own enemy because of her conflicting feelings. If this raw emotion doesn’t make you ugly cry than nothing will.

Another iconic Eilish original song that has people reaching for the tissue box is “Bad Guy.” At first, this song appears to be about a toxic and abusive relationship that many can relate to. But when you look deeper into the true meaning of the song, you find something different. You find that, once again, the true enemy of the song is Billie Eilish herself. Billie is in the relationship and she knows about all of the misery she could bring upon this guy’s life. She is the real “bad guy.” Eilish openly admits her own demons and faults: something that might be overwhelming for some to do so easily. Maybe this blunt admittance serves as a wake-up call that some of us can’t admit our faults, or maybe some of us wish another would listen to this song and realize their own mistakes. Whatever the reason is, this song truly does bring on the ugly crying.

It is obvious to “misery music” lovers everywhere that Billie Eilish talks about some real shit in her songs. This is something that many can’t completely understand. People might deem her music as too depressing or unnecessarily gory, but they can’t deny that it represents the way many people feel.