HALSEY: BADLANDS REVIEW

For most people, Friday August 28th was like any other day. However, for some souls, the day marked the release of the long anticipated debut record from American singer/songwriter, Halsey, as she released Badlands to the world.
The alternative musician, who is signed to Astralwerks, has an intense following. I remember when she released Ghost in 2014 and I listened to it on repeat as I paraded to university, some time later came her well received EP Room 93, which spurned out fan favourites such as Hurricane and Trouble. Badlands promised to depart from the days Halsey was better known as Ashley Frangipane and with its release, fans such as myself have been pulled into the dark, imaginative spiral which the bad lands entail.
Castle, the opening track for the record throws the listener in at the deep end, as Halsey embarks upon the dystopian metropolis and is 'headed straight for the castle' supposedly to become queen of the bad lands. There's a choir trickled into the chorous which backs up her inauguration into this seemingly sinister place. Lyrically the song offers an insight into Halsey's position as a woman fighting in a predominantly male industry. On several occasions Halsey has bought up the topic of the struggles that are placed in her way as she climbs her position within the music industry. She's rejected labels who didn't support her intentions, and took control of having a female-female love relationship for her video for Ghost. With the statement 'there's an old man sitting on the throne, that's saying I should probably keep my pretty mouth shut,' this power struggle punches through the hypnotic rhythm of the song.
As the tracklist continues the ideas Halsey was experimenting with for the record come through. In interviews Halsey has suggested Las Vegas as the inspiration for the place of Badlands, a place which has its secrets and indulges in the sins of humanity. The sound of Badlands swallows up the dystopia of Las Vegas and you can feel the sex seep through particular beats, as well as being drawn into the raw mental states explored lyrically.
Roman Holiday and Ghost follow each other on the tracklist and for me they act as juxtapositions for one another. Roman Holiday breathes life into the experience of falling in love, it is anthemic, drizzled in sounds you'd blast on a summer road trip playlist. Ghost on the other hand brings the opposition for falling in love and presents Halsey being left with no physical love and searching for something that she 'can't reach.' Ghost then fades into Colors, perhaps the most loved Halsey song, with lyrics fit for the Tumblr Generation it oozes poetry, which reflects her time as a Creative Writing student. Post relationship she is left alone, cast off by her lover for becoming a 'lilac sky' somewhat mirroring Halsey's position as someone who may not fit with the ideas of ideal. For me, Colors is so well received for its visual lyrics, 'everything is grey, his hair, his smoke, his dreams and now he's totally void of colour he don't know what it means' Halsey sings and it is with lyrics like this Halsey demonstrates her wonderful talent in being able to vividly capture life almost effortlessly.
Strange Love ties in with Hurricane as Halsey further showcases her power as a woman who embodies sexual freedom. As well as being a 'wanderess' she has the ability to overthrow her lover and is seen as a threat for this -'they know you walk like you're a God, they can't believe I made you weak.'
Badlands in my view is split into parts. The first is finding the bad lands and wanting to escape, exploring the demons which roam there. This then moves into the demons Halsey explores in her own head, which is her personal bad land. Halsey wrote part of the record in Wales, where she stayed in a hotel isolated from society. This time alone seems to have provided content directed towards her own state of mind and Gasoline introduces the part of the record when the place isn't the bad land but the mind of one person. On the track, which sounds mechanical, the lyrics present a conflict between Halsey and the rest of the people in the bad lands, and antagonises herself. She sings of how everyone runs on gasoline but she seems to have a 'flaw' in her 'code.' The track moves into Control, my personal favourite from the album which only intensifies this conflict within herself. The intro for the song is creepy and unsettling, and this is carried right through the song. The demonization of herself continues with lyrics such as 'I can't help this awful energy, God damn right you should be scared of me.' Control also touches upon the idea of artists seeking to mortalise themselves in their work, as Halsey declares her demons 'beg me to write them so I'll never die when I'm dead.'
I feel like I've been championing Halsey for so long and I could not be more elated with the experience which listening to Badlands bought. As a concept album it has startling moments where listeners can imagine a thousand films to accompany the soundtrack. The songs draw out experiences we've had or are too afraid to have; encounters with drugs, older lovers, sex, running away and feeling like we are battling ourselves. I love this album with every part of me and I think it was truly an honour to listen to it, knowing how much time and how much of herself Halsey has put into it.
HOW CAN I EVEN FINISH THIS WITHOUT ADDRESSING HER COVER OF WALK THE LINE?
When I went into writing this review my main reaction was AHISJODIDHDJIDHDISJSOHUDGSFYS**YNUSIJSOSPJOHDYGDYGSYUGSUIS and that's how i'm going to end it! Here's to Halsey and here's to the Badlands, I'm glad I decided to go there and I enjoyed my visit more than I could have imagined!
Thank you for reading,
Aimee :) x