Billie Eilish is the pop star for the modern moment.

In many ways, the 17-year-old’s meteoric rise to success feels a lot like Lorde’s a few years back. And it’s easy to compare them: at the beginning of their careers, both artists were in their teens, seemingly with a musical sense-of-self beyond their young years.

But on Eilish’s debut record, “WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO?” she shows that her styles are all her own, even though it’s often immediately obvious who her influences are.

Eilish and her older brother, Finneas O’Connell, who performs simply under his first name, reveal themselves to be true masters of sound design. The siblings’ approach to pop music is one of the most curiously minimalistic in recent memory.

To borrow from a friend of mine with whom I was talking about Billie Eilish, the singer’s approach seems to be to “barely sing.” And while my friend meant this in a negative way, I think it’s one of Eilish’s strengths. The singer is committed to a staunchly stripped-back aesthetic, sounding as though she delivers every song as close to the mic as possible. Her voice is whispery and warbling, conveying a dark, subdued sort of power lurking beneath the surface.

However, it’s reasonable to suggest the real star of the record is Finneas’ production. It’s a wonder how much Finneas is able to accomplish with the soundscapes of these songs. He layers production like a true master, filling every inch of each song with something compelling to consider, even if it’s only the way he uses silence.

Finneas’ incredible production highlights the eerie vocals and lyrics coming from his sister. Consider the album’s opening track, “Bad Guy.” Eilish sounds incredibly insidious on this cut, despite rarely allowing her voice to raise above a whisper. While she’s only singing about being the “other woman” in a relationship, Eilish sounds far more wicked.

This wickedness is a theme that’s maintained throughout the record. Many of her songs twist and churn with almost a haunted-house sense of fun, while Eilish winks at the listener as she knowingly pokes fun at some aspect of teenage rebellion.

However, her rebellion is a measured one. While she seems to have no problem with allowing a guy to cheat on a girlfriend with her, the follow-up track to “Bad Guy,” entitled “Xanny,” expounds an anti-drug message. Separating herself from some other younger artists, like Lil Pump, who openly brag about drug use, Eilish uses this sweetly soft song to claim she doesn’t need drugs to feel better. It’s a good message for Eilish to be giving to her mostly young fan base.

She quickly gets back into her haunted-house style of fun on songs like “You Should See Me in a Crown” and “All the Good Girls Go to Hell,” songs that go right for a strong female message. On the former track, Eilish takes on the braggadocio typically reserved for male artists, claiming she’ll be the one running her town, and we hear her turning down guys who won’t get her to where she wants to be. On the latter, she turns the themes of tracks like “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” on their head; while the two tracks are ostensibly about the same thing, Eilish approaches her song with a more devilish sense of humor.

That’s truly what makes Eilish’s music so much fun. Sure, it’s creepy. But it’s not, like, Marilyn Manson-level creepy. It’s more like “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark”: creepy, but ultimately harmless.

One of the best tracks on the record plays with that theme the most: “Bury a Friend” sees Eilish working through the fears associated with a bout of sleep paralysis by personifying the syndrome as the monster under her bed. Eilish and Finneas pull heavily from the sounds of groups like Massive Attack, creating an industrial style tone that fits perfectly with the horror inherent in the lyrical theme.

In a way, and perhaps unknowingly, Eilish managed to craft the perfect pop record for this moment in history; while it often feels like society is falling down around us, it seems as though Eilish is asking the listener to keep dancing in the dark. This is a stunning debut, and we’re almost certain to hear more great things from Billie Eilish soon.

Billie Eilish’s debut record, “WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO?” was released on March 29.
https://www.theweekender.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/web1_BillieEilish_WhenWeAllFallAsleep.jpg.optimal.jpgBillie Eilish’s debut record, “WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO?” was released on March 29.

By Patrick Kernan

pkernan@timesleader.com

Album: ‘WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO?’

Artist: Billie Eilish

Label: Darkroom, Interscope

Length: 42:48

Best Track: ‘Bury a Friend’

Reach Patrick Kernan at 570-991-6386 or on Twitter @PatKernan