Billie Eilish
No Time To Die
Interscope/Universal
Ahead of the upcoming 007 instalment, Billie Eilish is the next in the long line of amazing artists to write and perform a song for the opening credits. A huge achievement in itself, Eilish and producer-brother Finneas have created a blend of their own inimitable sound with a dramatic take on the traditional Bond sound; it’s emotional, sinister and entirely climatic.
Eilish propels her vocals to uncharted heights, showing off the power she possesses alongside her usual whisper-like tone. To hear such a moment is exciting. Something new, something we’ve hardly heard from her before. Control and restraint dance together throughout this piece, a pre-chorus melody that swirls and builds delicate layers of tension; aided by the soft introduction of strings and booming percussion, it’s a step away from the siblings’ regular instrumentation and production style. This track is big, simmering and exploding all in perfect succession.
Lyrically, Billie is no amateur when it comes to conceptual songwriting; the majority of her work sees her step into another’s skin, whether it be a character of her own creation or a fragment of herself, she’s an expert in melding perspectives. “You were my life but life is far away from fair/ Was I stupid to love you?/ Was I reckless to help?” Words applicable outside of the menacing and life or death world of James Bond, yet undeniably fitting for the franchise.
No Time To Die more than stands up to its predecessors Skyfall By Adele and Writing On The Wall By Sam Smith. Eilish is constantly surpassing expectations, but it also makes perfect sense for a task such as this to be given to her. The 18 year old just continues to prove herself as one of the world’s biggest and most deserving artists.
CAITLIN NORRIS
