CW: Mentions of abortion, mental health
Last Thursday, Billie Eilish fans were thrown into a frenzy as she surprised everyone in releasing The Guitar Songs EP, which contained new songs ‘TV’ and ‘The 30th’. Both songs were written and recorded with her brother Finneas O’Connnell, her long-time collaborator. However, Eilish was quick to shut down rumours of a full album.
Speaking to Apple Music, she said “’TV’ and ‘The 30th’ are the only songs we have”.
She went on to say “They are really current for me”.
Eilish also noted how she discussed with her brother about waiting for the next album to include the two songs, but felt that they needed to be said “right now”.
Since her last album, Happier Than Ever, Eilish has gone on to perform a world tour and also on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury, singing all of her hits. She also took time to speak about the Roe v. Wade case in America, something which is also mentioned in the song ‘TV’.
’The internet’s gone wild watching movie stars on trial
While they’re overturning Roe v. Wade’
Mentioning the recent Johnny Depp and Amber Heard trial, Eilish sings of the aftermath of jarring cultural moments. The song also touches on leaving friends behind while in a relationship, depressive episodes, insomnia and abortion rights. In October 2021, she almost cancelled her set at Austin City Limits festival after hearing about Texas’s abortion ban, but noted that her fans were the victims of the ban, and performed for them.
During her world tour, Billie played this song in Manchester and used audio from the live performance in the recording of the single. She claimed she ‘gets shivers’ every time she hears it. While this song was first performed in the UK, the second song is brand-new music and had not been heard before July 21.
In the second released song on the eight-minute EP, ‘The 30th’, she sings of a moment that changed her life. The song, written on December 30th with her brother, recalls an incident last November where she witnessed the aftermath of a car accident that left someone close to Billie injured.
She stated to Apple Music’s Zane Lowe that it was ‘the most indescribable thing to have to witness and experience’. Whilst she did not go into details about the accident, the song has left fans emotional and has racked up 2.1 million views on YouTube in the four days since its release.
Both songs are emotionally powerful and are indeed current to Billie’s life and the lives of her fans, living through constant cultural shifts without a moment to breathe. The slow pace of the songs perhaps gives fans this chance and they will surely become some of her best-loved songs.