FEATURE:
HIT ME HARD
IN THIS PHOTO: Billie Eilish/PHOTO CREDIT: Aidan Zamira for Rolling Stone
Why Pitchfork’s Reaction to Billie Eilish’s New Album Opens Up Debate About Music Criticism
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I do realise that…
PHOTO CREDIT: picjumbo.com/Pexels
I may be part of a problem that I am about to highlight. Also, music criticism and journalism is subjective. When it comes to reviewing an album or project, those charged with stating their opinion are free to score it as low or high as they wish. It is good we have a wide-ranging spectrum of takes on something like a new album. Artists do want the feedback. The public can obviously make their own minds up when it comes to opinions. Journalists are good at using their experience to frame an album in a way that brings it to life. Maybe finding small flaws or offering constructive criticism. I do find a lot of reviews are quite brief. I know some sites do limit word count though, when it comes to an album, a few paragraphs seems like the minimum. Many do not even do that. A debate that has raged for decades is the value of journalists. I think ‘critics’ implies those who are going to be critical, rather than provide a critical analysis. I have backed away from reviews because of the little traffic they gained when I share them. I still firmly believe that it is important that we have journalists giving their thoughts on an album, E.P. or song. I think we can all agree that certain reviews or overly-harsh or deliberately provocative. Others that are lazy or unfairly low. That is the nature of journalism. One site I do really like but is renowned for its low and bewildering album review scores is Pitchfork. Over the years, they have given artists like Lana Del Rey really low scores for albums objectively brilliant. Their review for Billie Eilish’s HIT ME HARD AND SOFT has drawn criticism. Chief among those calling it out is Eilish’s brother and co-writer, Finneas O'Connell (as album producer he is known as ‘Finneas’). As NME report, he was not best pleased with their 6.8 our of 10 assessment of an album that has won its fair share of four-star reviews from other sites and sources:
“Finneas has hit out at Pitchfork over its review of Billie Eiliish’s new album ‘Hit Me Hard And Soft’.
Eilish’s brother and frequent collaborator co-wrote the follow-to 2021’s ‘Happier Than Ever’, and is credited as the record’s sole producer.
Eilish’s third studio effort earned a four-star review from NME, who praised the project for being “bold” and “confident in its execution”. “In trying to write an album for herself, she’s made one that will resonate harder than anything she’s done before,” it concluded.
Pitchfork was less favourable, however – awarding ‘Hit Me…’ 6.8 out of 10 (Eilish’s first two albums earned scores of 7.2 and 7.6, respectively).
The publication wrote: “Every song on this big album has some detail worth hearing, but the insistence on multipart epics and ballads kills the momentum […] The much-hyped live instrumentation is more window dressing than it is integral to the artistry, and Jon Castelli’s brightly saturated mix leaves the extraneous elements to fight for space in the more crowded sections.
“All these enhancements cancel each other out until ‘HMHAS’ is just another good record from Billie and Finneas – certainly tasteful, and arresting sometimes, but all the session musicians in the world can’t make it a masterpiece.”
Finneas has since responded to the review while replying to a fan on TikTok.
“Nothing cool about writing a positive review of an album everyone likes – they’ve gotta have an angle,” he wrote.
“They gave [Lana Del Rey’s debut album] ‘Born To Die’ a 5.5 – it’s their whole hater-ass bag.” Check out the screenshot below.
Eilish recently said that ‘Hit Me Hard And Soft’ was “the most genuine thing” she’s ever made. “It feels very, very me and it feels like all of the music is exactly who I am,” she explained.
The star went on to say that she felt somewhat pigeonholed after the huge success of her 2019 debut album, ‘When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?’. She added that she overcompensated on ‘Happier Than Ever’ as a result.
Elsewhere, Eilish and Finneas said they had “never ever, ever loved something more” than their latest LP”.
Even if it one site giving consistently underrating reviews to great albums, it is fair to question how valid music criticism is. Not everyone will love everything or the same thing. I do find a lot of sites have a reputation for marking too low. When mixed with other reviews, it does rather stand out. Whether you feel they are being objective or deliberately harsh, it must be frustrating for artists to read reviews that go in quite hard. In the case of Pitchfork and Billie Eilish, they did say HIT ME HARD AND SOFT is no masterpiece. That is fine. It is the tone and angle of the review that seems rather dismissive. Finneas O’Connell might be subjective in his anger, yet I have seen many share the same views of that review.
It is a complex debate. I can appreciate those who say that reviews are not essential because people can form their own opinions. Like literary critics, it is not just about someone saying whether they like or dislike an album. There is perceptive about production, sound and aspects that the average listener might not know about. It is exciting for artists and fans reading reviews for a brilliant album about to arrive. I know how many artists value reviews. So many different takes and opinions can confuse things I guess. If someone says something and someone else something else, who do you trust?! Listeners will have the ultimate say. It is good to get a variety of opinions. What worries me is that reviews that are harsh or seem to take against an artist for no real reason might put listeners off trusting journalists. Pitchfork can be pretty random and strange with their reviews. It is not only them. A journalist is a music fan so, like any listener, they seek different things in an album. They have their own thoughts and takeaways. Music is universal, yet the listening experience is unique. At a time when we should really highlight how essential music journalism is, stories like the one where Finneas O'Connell blasted Pitchfork does muddy things. If a reviewer or site sees an album everyone likes and then feels it necessary to purposely downgrade it or feel there needs to be some negativity, it is frustrating defending music reviewing. I still find it has a place and real purpose. Even so, the Pitchfork review for a fabulous Billie Eilish album…
HIT pretty hard.