Billie Eilish, NDA | Track Review

Billie Eilish exhibits honesty and authenticity on “NDA,” the fifth advance single from her sophomore album, Happier Than Ever.

“Did I take it too far? / Now I know what you are / You hit me so hard / I saw stars.” Something notable during the release cycle of Happier Than Ever is that Billie Eilish has upped the ante as far as being personal.  Following up her Grammy-winning debut, WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO? is a herculean task, but the authentic, personal tilt of advanced singles from Happier Than Ever showcase Eilish has another potential masterpiece on her hands.  While all the advanced singles have been awesome, “NDA” is unexpected yet incredibly rewarding.  Billie and her brother FINNEAS – they’re just a perfect match.  FINNEAS ‘shows out’ on the boards, particularly the chorus. 

“NDA” is a darker moment from Happier Than Ever, with the title serving as an acronym for non-disclosure agreement.  NDAs are commonplace for celebrities – a necessity in all honesty – yet you don’t hear them ‘open up’ about them or discuss them.  Billie lets us peek into her world throughout the song.  She rose to fame as a teen, and she imparts the downside of fame including stalkers, lack of parties, and the time she “Had a pretty boy over, but he couldn’t stay / On his way out, I made him sign an NDA.” Later, on this intense yet intriguing gem, she adds, “I’ve been havin’ fun gettin’ older now / Didn’t change my number, made him shut his mouth / At least I gave him something he can cry about.” I love how Eilish sounds throughout, particularly the brief but gorgeous chorus, as well as her ratcheted up intensity on the outro (excerpted at the top).

Final Thoughts

“NDA” is utterly sublime.  Five singles into Happier Than Ever, you don’t necessarily expect the fifth to have a shot at the crowning achievement.  That’s sort of the case with “NDA” which does an awesome job of contrasting the singles that precede it.  This is an instance where the minimalism of Billie Eilish and FINNEAS works tremendously well.  “NDA” is well-written, superbly produced, and yields an elite vocal performance from Eilish.

Billie Eilish • Happier Than Ever • Darkroom / Interscope • 7.30.31

[: Brent Faulkner, Columbia, Darkroom, Interscope, The Musical Hype, OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay]