Following up one of the most celebrated debut albums in recent memory was never going to be easy. With Happier Than Ever, released in 2021, Billie Eilish proved she was more than up to the task. The 16-track sophomore album continues the creative blueprint that made When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? a multi-Grammy Award winning, record-breaking phenomenon. Once again, not a single outside writer or producer was involved. Every song was written by Billie and her brother Finneas, who produced the entire record in Los Angeles, keeping the creative process as intimate and uncompromising as ever. The result is an album that feels both like a natural evolution and a bold artistic statement. Billie sounds more confident and more vulnerable at the same time, working through themes of fame, relationships, and self-worth with a directness that hits hard. Hit singles "Therefore I Am" and "My Future" offer two distinct sides of that emotional range, and the album's depth rewards repeated listening across its full runtime. Pressed on double vinyl and best heard from start to finish, Happier Than Ever is the sound of a generational talent growing fully into her own.
