Billie Eilish - No Time to Die: Unsettling, Progressive and Atmospheric

Be it the rich, glamorous Hollywood strings of Sam Smith’s The Writing’s On The Wall, the sophisticated piano of Adele’s Skyfall, or the adrenaline-fueled rock ‘n’ roll of Jack White’s Another Way to Die, it has become remarkably clear that the most successful Bond songs masterfully merge the famous chromatic Bond motif with the artist’s own distinctive, recognisable sound. It is not altogether surprising, then, that Billie Eilish’s No Time to Die is rife with the distinctly ‘Billie’ sound of moody, intimate whisper-style singing – a technique for which she is a pioneer. Nevertheless, the element of surprise does strike in the way Billie’s unique and edgy style merges so well with the elegance of the film franchise’s music.

Produced by her brother, Finneas, and with a brilliantly bleak, cinematic orchestral arrangement by Hans Zimmer, No Time to Die is, perhaps, the most haunting Bond theme thus far. Lacing ghostly reverb with delicate vibrato, Billie articulates sombre lyrics like ‘faces from my past return’ which is magnified by atmospheric echoes that float in the background. The harmony regularly slides from subtle dissonance into diatonicism creating a creepy, dangerous mood which underscores the menacingly low register of threatening lines like ‘the blood you bleed is just the blood you owe’. 

The song’s zenith is achieved through a gradual textural build in which the climbing melody is elevated by swelling strings. Billie’s voice escapes quiet falsetto and enters a brief, albeit fantastic, high note; a brilliant demonstration of vocal strength that leaves a considerably awestruck feeling.

The unsettling No Time to Die fascinatingly captures the mysterious intrigue of James Bond whilst impressively maintaining Billie’s sultry, progressive style.

Listen to No Time to Die here: