Ah yes, Halsey, an acronym for her real name Ashley. Three albums into her career and I'm fond of two of them. Yet this album felt and looked different, from the artistic cover to the powerful messaging she claimed to be seeking. The power of the woman - and in her fertility. It seems today the modern thing is to brag of women being everything but someone who gives birth, but there's something beautiful about a woman showing that she in fact is all of those things - a birther and empowered.
The album begins with "The Tradition", which appears to refer historically how women were moreless sold and sent off to follow whatever orders some man who pays for them gives. She shows off better vocals than I am used to. I like the choice of melody, it enhances the lyrics.
"Bells in Santa Fe" seamlessly blends with track one melodically declaring an unhappy ending to all the ordeals to come. She declares something is temporary. Perhaps trying to convince herself?
"Easier than Lying" leans back into the sort of rock leaning pop on Nightmare and Experiment on Me, yet within the album thus far feels...unfit? I like the sound for her, but it so sharply contrasts with the first two songs. I'm not sure I enjoy the melody as much for this one.
"Lilith" sounds a bit like something off Hopeless Fountain Kingdom, and it also does not blend well with the album very well. It has a smoother melody than the track behind it though.
"Girl is a Gun" is a surprising track. It sounds like no other pop song she has done before, with more of a dance/pop rhythm to it. I think it is a bit of a grower track.
"You Asked For This" sounds like a good pop/punk esque track but the vocals are a little flat. I wish there was some stronger emotion in this track because the lyrics seem so strong.
"Darling" is actually a sweet track. I wonder if it about the baby in some way. It is so acoustic and stripped back compared to her usual work and stands out emotionally for sure.
"1121" returns to the first two tracks vibe which I really enjoy. This song hits a bit harder than the others in general. The melody is good, and it emotionally hits.
"Honey" hits harder than the first pop/punk esque track. It feels like it fits into the narrative a little better. The melody also works much smoother here.
I guess I just prefer slow piano ballads. "Whispers" appears to reference psychological issues with the self and the way they are perceived, and damn does it hit hard. This song adds a dark pop beat into it and elevates the way she wrote with Badlands.
"I Am Not a Woman, I'm a God" is a confusing track. If you listen, it seems sort of contradictory in description but I like the beat of the song. Can easily blend in to the album and be a catchy track to return to.
"The Lighthouse" is the sort of pop/punk that blends PERFECTLY with the dark pop piano ballads. I love this track, it stands out for the force in the vocals but also the guitar on this really takes you in.
"Ya'aburnee" is the closing track and honestly wraps up the album so beautifully. After the chaos and pain, it appears she tears down her walls to confess love and be buried with someone.
Lyrics: 8/10 - I think this is lyrically the best Halsey album by a mile. She has grown a lot since her first album.
Music: 5/10 - The cohesion feels disjointed and some song melodies did not work as well as they could have.
Overall: 7/10 - Highly recommend taking a listen. I don't think her concept was actually well executed, but I like the overall vibe of many of the songs and I will be taking it home myself. It definitely gets better as it goes. I am also unsure that perhaps I miss context since I did not see the movie associated with the album itself. Perhaps in that setting, I'd see the execution better. Overall a bit disjointed, but I can't name a Halsey record that is not such a thing.
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