REVIEW: Billie Eilish’s ‘bury a friend’ is a terrifying tribute to her haters

Courtesy of Google Images

The single’s cover emulates the creepy vibe of the song.

Correction: 2/4/19 at 9:30 am. Headline: “your” to “a”

Shortly after announcing her debut album “When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?” 17-year-old singer Billie Eilish released her new song and corresponding music video “bury a friend” on Wednesday, Jan. 30.

The video, directed by Michael Chaves, features the teen star being mauled by a team of gloved hands in a dimly lit, spooky apartment building. The track itself is minimalistic and features rumbling percussion as Eilish delivers a masked auto-tuned flow.

Many of the lyrics are questions like “What do you know?” and “What are you wondering?” These are accompanied with Eilish being pushed, pulled and possessed in the video. Some viewers may experience the chills with the high-pitched screeches in the background of the song.

The young star has gained both success and hate from her previous tracks and is addressing the hate in “bury a friend.”After a few seconds of silence in the beginning of the track, Eilish asks “What do you want from me? / Why don’t you run from me?” in a inquisitive but frustrated tone. She then asks the haters once more to just “say it, spit it out.”

One of the most haunting lines Eilish incorporates is “I wanna end me.” In the video, Elish is injected with needles as she mutters the words. The screen then blacks out, and she comes back with an emotionless face at the whim of gloved hands.

The song and music video feature Australian rapper Crooks who voices simple phrases like “Billie,” “Careful” and “Come here” at random points of the song. This addition enhances the creepiness and fits well with the terrifying vibe.

Some aspects of the music video are disturbing and may make viewers want to look away. Eilish has mentioned in an interview with Billboard that she loves horror movies, which the video showcases.

During the song’s bridge, Eilish sings, “For the debt I owe, gotta sell my soul / Cause I can’t say no, no, I can’t say no / Then my limbs are froze and my eyes won’t close.” She stares at the camera with black, endless eyes and continues to be tortured by the hands.

Eilish has hinted that “bury a friend” will be an important track for the soon-to-be-released album, “When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?” The album’s title are lyrics in the beginning and end of the track.

Through “bury a friend,” listeners gain insight on how Eilish feels after all her success. Along with being a powerful track, the song is a tempting preview for Eilish’s heavily anticipated debut album.