Halsey – Manic
(Capitol Records)
Reviewed by Bridget Herlihy.
When Halsey (aka Ashley Frangipane) dropped her debut album Badlands in 2015, she proclaimed herself to be an ‘anti-pop star’, a claim that does not always appear to ring true given the number of radio-friendly tracks she has released over the last couple of years. Yet her highly anticipated third album ‘Manic’ reaffirms that Halsey does not deal with the generic subject matter that typically defines ‘pop’ music. Rather, lyrically, ‘Manic’ is a deeply confessional, no-holds barred album that may prove to be a difficult listen for those wanting a more uplifting and lightweight auditory experience.
Opening track ‘Ashley’ firmly sets the tone for ‘Manic’ from the outset; not only in the fact that she is referring to herself by name as opposed to her stage persona, but also mentioning a “selling out” of her artist vision (perhaps in reference to her less well received second album ‘Hopeless Fountain Kingdom’), as well alluding to death, bursting into flames and leaving behind a pile of dust. A form of dark romanticism? Perhaps. But what is evident is that this is an album where Halsey fearlessly bares her fragility for all to hear, and as a result the lyrics are arguably the most interesting element of the album.
Musically, ‘Manic ‘offers few surprises, which is unsurprising given that no less than six of the album’s sixteen tracks were released as singles prior to the album landing in its entirety, including ‘Graveyard’, ‘You should be sad’, ‘Without Me’, and ‘Finally//beautiful stranger’. Quieter songs ‘Clementine’ (which at times has a childlike-quality to it), and ‘More’ are juxtaposed against slightly edgier tunes ‘killing boys’ and ‘3am’. At times it seems that the album is somewhat confused, with a series of ‘interludes’ from guest artists including Alanis Morrisette and Dominic Fike, but further exploration reveals that the tracks have been placed in this order to tell a specific story, although the details of this story may very well continue to elude the listener. Halsey has stated that she firmly believes that an album should be listened to front-to-back as some songs are halves of a whole. As such, ‘Manic’ might just be a slow-burn and require a few listens for it to truly gel.
Credit where credit is due; this is an undeniably honest and raw collection of tunes, and Halsey fans will no doubt be delighted with Manic’s predominantly sombre tracks. Whether or not this album will prove to be memorable remains to be seen.
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