Words by Tom Disalvo //

Eilish adds to her ever-increasing anti-pop catalogue.

Certified megastar Billie Eilish continues her reign over the global pop scene, today dropping a haunting new video for anti-drug anthem ‘xanny,’ the latest visual offering of singles from her breakout debut When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? The video, already trending a mere hours afters its premiere, adds ‘director’ to the singer’s never ending list of creative credentials; marking Billie’s debut as an unstoppable talent both in front of, and behind the camera.

In it, Billie trades the apocalyptic theatrics of her most recent “all the good girls go to hell” video for a more simplistic aesthetic, sitting blankly in white clothes against a similarly-coloured backdrop; a muted palette to reflect the numbness of the songs’ titular drug.

Sporting a new hairdo, the anti-pop prodigy lilts with trademark whispery vocals over Sinatra-esque, jazzy piano chords, as plumes of smoke billow off-screen. The eerily-beautiful arrangement of the first verse quickly turns haunting on the chorus’ ear-splitting bass-drop, as an assortment of disembodied hands use Billie’s face as a human ashtray, leaving burns on the 17 year-olds’ ever-expressionless face.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZyybvVx-js

The video premiere caps off what has been an incomparably mammoth year for the songstress, with Spotify yesterday crowning Billie as the second most listened-to artist on the streaming platform in 2019, adding to an already-stacked resume seemingly fit for an artist 30 years her senior.

Last month, Billie was the youngest artist to score Grammy nominations in all major categories, including best song and best album, solidifying her as a pop-force to be reckoned with. For now, fans await the release of Billie’s live album on vinyl in Third Man Records across the US.