Live Review: The doom and gloom of Billie Eilish's 'Bellyache'

Billie Eilish oozes cool. Not a cooler-than-thou attitude or always cool, calm and collected - but cool with a capital C. Her taste and skill match up and pave the way for music videos like ‘Bellyache’. Billie is merely walking along a desert road, pulling along a cart in a yellow raincoat get up but it is all impressive. It’s Billie Eilish’s alluring gloom-pop back yet again to get the blogs going.

‘Bellyache’ is already a track that wows, it’s set off by an acoustic guitar that paves the way for a myriad of trap elements that all focus on carrying Billie’s doom-ridden lyrics. In writing the song, Billie explains that “When I write, I try to become different characters. You can write a song about killing someone, but you don’t have to have killed people. ‘Bellyache’ is about doing one of those things but it’s mostly about regret and guilt.” It’s obvious Billie achieved her aim, as the lyrics reach a dark depth that seems far out of reach for someone so young ‘...the way I wear my noose, like a necklace’ and ‘maybe it is in the gutter, where I left my lover, what an expensive fate’. They all circle a pit of despair and long term mistakes, but are contrasted with her sultry yet still sweet voice. Even Billie’s dance moves as we approach the first dance break provide a wonderful juxtaposition between the gloominess of the song to the still danceable fun of the production.

Visually, the music video takes a simple premise and works it wonderfully. Eilish’s attitude and cool factor capture the camera and take the beautiful yet empty setting of a desert road and create an entire narrative. She’s obviously running from something but has a lassiz faire approach; she’s counting money and taking dance breaks. She’s dressed for the long haul but still all in bright yellow. It’s an overall mature nonchalance that holds the clip together. Billie Eilish has an attitude that many performers her senior are yet to nail.

‘Bellyache’ was produced with her older brother Finneas O’Connell and is hopefully only the first of many releases of 2017. Billie may have already been hyped by blogs all around the world, touted as Pop’s Next It Girl but there is unquestionably so much more to come from her and her gloom-pop cocksure attitude.

WORDS BY LLOYD CRACKETT

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