Our weekly column Song of the Week spotlights the greatest new tunes each week. Find these new favorites and more on our Spotify Top Songs playlist, and for other great songs from emerging artists, check out our Spotify New Sounds playlist. This week, Billie Eilish throws out the recipe book.

Vulnerability is the core of a Billie Eilish song, from the raging release of “Happier Than Ever” to the tender disillusionment of “What Was I Made For?” A large part of the reason her music resonates with such a noticeable chunk of her generation — beyond the sonic inventiveness she and her brother FINNEAS tend to employ — is her lack of filter.

With “LUNCH” specifically, and her third LP, HIT ME HARD AND SOFT, generally, Eilish has stepped into a new threshold of honesty. Since coming out as queer and identifying herself as “for the girls,” Eilish has continued to be candid, and this new album digs into the rise and demise of a relationship that clearly left her deeply affected. One thing about heartbreak, though, is that once the dust has settled, there are inevitably gems to be mined creatively.

“LUNCH” arrives as the second track on the album, rooted in the earlier stages of a relationship where lust and comfortable bliss intertwine. The track is playful and refreshing, showing off a vibrant side of Eilish we don’t always get to see. She tiptoes into outlaw territory with Western-adjacent reverberations from the guitar, all while a danceable beat keeps the energy high. “She’s taking pictures in the mirror/ Oh my God, her skin’s so clear/ Tell her bring that over here,” she sings, and her smile is practically audible.

As an artist who carved out a space for herself in music that often involves breathier, lower parts of her register, it’s wonderful to see Eilish lean into a number of different vocal choices throughout HIT ME HARD AND SOFT. Fingers are still crossed for a jazz album someday, but in the meantime we get to relish in the growth and experimentation from an artist who has been in the spotlight since she was barely old enough to obtain a driver’s license. If “LUNCH” proves anything, it’s that Eilish has only just begun.

— Mary Siroky
Contributing Editor