Halsey – If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power
(Capitol Records)
Reviewed by Bridget Herlihy.
Having followed Halsey since the release of their debut album ‘Badlands’, it has been interesting to watch their evolution as an artist. ‘Badlands’ was, and still is, a superb album. Their sophomore ‘Tragic Fountain Kingdom’, while an enjoyable listen, lacked the same intensity of its predecessor. Album number three, the largely autobiographical ‘Manic’, retrieved some of Halsey’s raw and brutal honesty, not to mention delivering a number of radio-friendly tracks, including fan-favourite ‘Without Me’ (with over a billion streams on Spotify and counting).
Yet with the release of the fourth album ‘If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power’, Halsey has forged a slightly different musical path, one that is undeniably darker and edgier than any of its predecessors. This album sees a distinct shift away from Halsey’s more mainstream electro/synth-pop stylings of their previous two albums, and embraces a much greater industrial/alternative rock edge, which in part can be attributed to the genius move of bringing Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross on board to produce the album. Anyone who is even vaguely familiar with the work of Reznor and Ross will detect the subtle influences brought on board by (in my opinion) the most talented musicians and composers in contemporary music today. The addition of engineer Mat Mitchell (Puscifer) was an additional stroke of genius. The results are nothing short of compelling and exquisite; a captivating musical and lyrical journey from beginning to end.
Halsey has described If I Can’t Have Love I, Want Power as being “a concept album about the joys and horrors of pregnancy and childbirth”, as well as addressing themes such as feminism, misogyny and the patriarchy. The album is accompanied by an hour-long stylised, fantastical film bearing the same name (you can check this out for yourself via a special livestream event on the 30th August 2021). This feat in itself is remarkable, given that Halsey was pregnant during the writing and recording of the album and the film. Interestingly, this is also their first album since ‘Badlands’ that does not include any ‘lyrical features’ – the only guests being musicians, with the likes of Dave Grohl, Lindsay Buckingham and Meat Beat Manifesto lending their talents to various tracks.
Opening track ‘The Tradition’ is a stripped back haunting orchestral piece (along with a piano score reminiscent of NIN track ‘The Lovers’) that beautifully sets the mood for the album. Second track ‘Bells of Santa Fe’ is equally stunning, backed with subtle synth beats, with Halsey’s voice front and centre. In contrast, ‘Lilith’ is more of a beat-heavy pop track, whereas the more laidback ‘Darling’ sees Halsey accompanied by an acoustic guitar (courtesy of Buckingham). Suffice to say that If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power is an album full of highlights, the biggest being the first single ‘I am not a woman, I’m a god’, ‘Honey’ (with Grohl on drums) and they grungey ‘The Lighthouse’. Each of the album’s thirteen tracks pack a proverbial lyrical and musical punch, and must be experienced from start to finish.
If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power is a modern masterpiece, taking the listener on a sonic and narrative tour-de-force that simply must be experienced. In my opinion this is hands-down one of the musical highlights of the year.
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