Review
Venturing into uncharted territory, Halsey's "If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power" emerges as a stark, industrial odyssey that deftly sidesteps her pop origins, thanks to the visionary production from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross of Nine Inch Nails fame. The album unfurls a narrative tapestry, weaving through the tumultuous landscapes of personal agency, the scars of trauma, the embodiment of motherhood, and the metamorphosis of self and society. It's a canvas painted with the stark contrasts of brooding electronics, the raw power of explosive guitars, and the trance-like allure of hypnotic synths.
Tracks like "Bells in Santa Fe" and "Easier than Lying" pulse with a defiant punk spirit, while their melodies cling to the listener like the remnants of a half-remembered dream. In the quieter corners of the album, "The Lighthouse" and "Ya'aburnee" shine as beacons of vulnerability, offering solace and a sense of shared catharsis. Halsey's lyrics cut deep, delivering a potent blend of intimate revelations and incisive societal observations. This collection is a study in duality: it's both a raw, unfiltered expression and a polished, deliberate work of art, tender in its emotive reach yet ferocious in its intensity. "If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power" is a testament to the multitudes contained within the human experience, a genre-blurring opus that defies easy categorization. - Tyler
Artist Bio
Halsey, born Ashley Nicolette Frangipane in New Jersey, is a singer-songwriter who started making waves around 2014 with her moody, electropop sound. Her debut album, BADLANDS, came out in 2015 and set the stage for a string of popular releases, including *hopeless fountain kingdom*, *Manic*, and *If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power*. Over the years, she's explored electropop, alternative pop, and indie styles, often writing about personal or social themes. Known for collaborations like "Closer" with the Chainsmokers, Halsey is also recognized for her activism around mental health and social justice. Fans of Lorde, Ellie Goulding, and Billie Eilish will find a similar mix of emotive lyrics and pop production in her music.
