By Maddox Teague

The Phoenix Student Media

Happier Than Ever is Billie’s 2nd Album, and her 3rd body of work. It was released on July 20th, 2021 with an accompanying perfume, and 8 different vinyl pressings. This album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 200 chart. This album was long in the coming, with it’s first single (my future) being released on July 30, 2020, and having 4 other singles being released before the album’s release, “Therefore I Am”, ”Your Power”, “Lost Cause”, and “NDA”. The most recent single was “male fantasy”, promoted as a single on December 13th, 2021. While this album didn’t perform as well as her debut album, (When We All Fall Asleep Where Do We Go?), it still had its effect on the chart. Critics have called this her best body of work, and they aren’t wrong. Billie has shown a sense of maturity in her new record, singing about more than what’s in the dark. I also love the aesthetic and general vibe of the album, Billie enters her Sweetener era but with her own twist. It’s a happy and sad album, looking back on a past relationship in which she wasn’t treated very well, and other past events. This album captures the definition of the word “reminisce”. Billie also recently began a tour for her album, the Happier Than Ever Tour. She’s left her warm blonde aesthetic behind for this tour and traded it for black hair and anime art on clothing. Billie kills her aesthetic every time, and she brings that to life with this one. It’s brown and beige, cloudy and rainy, happy and sad. This album is so, so good. My favorite track is “NDA”, but if you want to get into the vibe of the album I'd recommend “Didn’t Change My Number”. I for sure would recommend this album, there’s something in it for everyone.

Story by Maddox Teague