Billie Eilish has released new James Bond theme - here's what the critics have said

18-year-old Billie Eilish has put her own dark twist on the new James Bond theme (Getty Images)18-year-old Billie Eilish has put her own dark twist on the new James Bond theme (Getty Images)
18-year-old Billie Eilish has put her own dark twist on the new James Bond theme (Getty Images)

Billie Eilish and producer brother Finneas O'Connell dropped their take on the fabled James Bond soundtrack in the early hours of Valentine's Day.

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The innovative duo had been charged with providing a fresh take on the anthem, a task bestowed on Adele and Sam Smith in recent years.

Helmed by True Detective director Cary Joji Fukunaga, No Time To Die comes out in April of this year and Eilish's anthem takes the same name as the 25th James Bond film .

Eilish's year has got off to a remarkable start. Aged just 18, the pop star dominated the Grammy Awards in January and put in a striking performance at the 92nd Academy Awards.

And initial reviews of her 007 track have been favourable.

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'The best we've had in some time'

The Independent gave a flattering review of the moody take on the 007 theme, labelling it as "one of the best we've had in some time".

Roisin O'Connor opined that the track "proves Eilish has a versatility that extends beyond the ghostly, ASMR-lite electronic sound of her debut album, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?."

Alexis Petridis of the Guardian was also a fan, highlighting the teenager's departure from her usal style.

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He described the anthem as a "tasteful track that matches the haunted solitude of its leading man."

Guardian writer Alexis Petridis described the Eilish theme as befitting of Daniel Craig's James Bond (MGM Studios)

Expanding on the Craig comparison he wrote: "No Time to Die, however, smartly refracts the Daniel Craig depiction of Bond – dark, solitary and tormented beneath the cool exterior – through Eilish’s signature brand of teen angst."

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Neil McCormick of the Telegraph noted that Billie Eilish put her own unique stamp on the track without departing too dramatically from the traditional 007 format, describing the track as "downbeat noir" and "spine-tingling".

BBC music editor Mark Savage concurs with McCormick, writing: "Shrewdly, the duo [Eilish and Finneas O'Connell] retain their dark, off-kilter style throughout the song, while incorporating several of the film series' musical touchstones - swelling strings, discordant brass, and, best of all, it finishes with the distinctive minor 9th chord that closes out Monty Norman's original Bond theme."

Not all critics were a fan, however, with

No Time To Die Lyrics

I should have knownI'd leave aloneJust goes to showThat the blood you bleed is just the blood you oweWe were a pairBut I saw you thereToo much to bearYou were my life, but life is far away from fairWas I stupid to love you?Was I reckless to help?Was it obvious to everybody else?

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[Chorus]That I'd fallen for a lieYou were never on my sideFool me once, fool me twiceAre you death or paradise?Now you'll never see me cryThere's just no time to die

[Verse 2]I let it burnYou're no longer my concern, mmmFaces from my past returnAnother lesson yet to learn

[Chorus]That I'd fallen for a lieYou were never on my sideFool me once, fool me twiceAre you death or paradise?Now you'll never see me cryThere's just no time to die

[Refrain]No time to die, mmmNo time to die, ooh

[Outro]Fool me once, fool me twiceAre you death or paradise?Now you'll never see me cryThere's just no time to die

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