15-year-old LA pop singer-songwriter Billie Eilish is swiftly proving to be a precocious and promising talent in the contemporary pop scene. Since releasing "Ocean Eyes" in November last year, she has earned over a million Youtube views, as well as comparisons to Lana Del Rey and Lorde for her idiosyncratic take on electro-pop and her charismatic vocal presence. After putting out the excellent "Bellyache" in March this year, Eilish has made further progress by releasing "Bored", a song that was included in the soundtrack for Netflix's controversial 13 Reasons Why.
The confessional and down-tempo track is a perfect fit for a television series that foregrounds the emotional intensities of the teenage experience. Eilish's lyrics on the track have been scrubbed of the relatively unconventional imagery and diction that her previous singles relied on, but her emotive and angelic vocals are as conspicuous as ever, floating over dreamy piano melodies and a morose tripping beat:
'The games you played were never funYou'd say you'd stay but then you'd runGiving you what you're begging forGiving you what you say I needI don't want any settled scoresI just want you to set me freeGiving you what you're begging forGiving you what you say I need, say I need
I'm not afraid anymoreWhat makes you sure you're all I need?Forget about itWhen you walk out the door and leave me tornYou're teaching me to live without itBored, I'm so bored, I'm so bored, so bored
Lyrics:
Like Lorde, Eilish excels at depicting the complexities of teenage psychology with the kind of poise and sophistication one would expect from a mature and self-aware performer. "Bored" convincingly fleshes out the tensions between a teenager's conflicting needs for independence and the emotional security provided by a stable romantic attachment - while fuelling anticipation for Eilish's eventual full-length debut.
