In a society that thrives off of bashing pop stars without even giving them a chance, Halsey’s latest album, Manic, will naturally be overlooked. It simply takes an open mind to see its immense variety and beauty — and it also helps that this is Halsey’s most polished, brutally honest, poignant album to date.
Halsey’s stage name comes from two clear-cut entities: When she was 17, she was with a guy who lived on Halsey Street in Brooklyn, the time in which she started creating music. It’s also an anagram of her real name, Ashley (Frangipane). After releasing her music online, her career gradually took off, resulting in a signing with Astralwerks in 2014. Her debut EP, Room 93, dropped in the same year. Halsey didn’t become a household name until her debut LP, Badlands, in 2015, and she became even bigger with her smash hit of a collaboration with The Chainsmokers on “Closer” in 2016. No prior release even closely compares to any of Manic’s tracks, though.
Radio friendliness wasn’t even an afterthought for Halsey on Manic. Every song was crafted to depict the tumultuous headspace she lives with daily, and she doesn’t hold back with the candid lyrics even for a second.“Graveyard” is simply catchy goodness, as the way Halsey’s voice glistens alongside the entrancing production can’t be beat. “More” is a heart-wrenching reveal of Halsey’s battle with endometriosis and recovering from her previous three miscarriages. The album is a smorgasbord of styles, experimenting heavily but somehow knowing what to implement at the perfect time, and it’s nothing short of the reassurance that we needed that pop music is in good hands.
Here are the best five tracks from Manic:
5. “You should be sad”
“You should be sad” is about as spicy as lyrical content can get, especially since everyone knows it’s about rapper G-Eazy, who cheated on Halsey more than once during their year-long relationship. Backed by a simple yet catchy acoustic guitar and enthralling harmonies, Halsey admits she mended G-Eazy’s entire being, but it wasn’t enough. She’s evidently grateful it didn’t go any further: “I’m so glad I never ever had a baby with you / ’Cause you can’t love something unless something’s in it for you.” The obvious shade is jaw-dropping but well-deserved on G-Eazy’s part.
4. “Ashley”
Opening the album is “Ashley,” alluding to the idea that it’s about to be her most personal track yet, and it certainly is. Halsey’s voice is powerful yet so delicate as the slightly monotonic beat helps the angsty lyrics stand out: “Now, if I figure this out, apart from my beating heart / It’s a muscle, but it’s still not strong enough to carry the weight of the choices I’ve made.” The track ends with a snippet of a quote Kate Winslet from the 2004 film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind that sets the empowering tone for the rest of the album.
3. “clementine”
Named for Winslet’s character in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, “clementine” opens up on Halsey’s bipolar disorder. The track was dropped on her birthday, Sept. 29, as a way of revealing that growing older means coming to terms with your demons. Dejected piano keys accent Halsey’s vulnerable harmonies and honeyed vocals: “I’d like to tell you that my sky’s not blue; it’s violent rain / And in my world, the people on the street don’t know my name.” The simplicity of the instrumentation juxtaposes the meticulous lyricism almost too well.
2. “Finally // beautiful stranger”
Greg Kurstin evokes a dreamlike feeling with the acoustic guitar on “Finally // beautiful stranger.” Halsey revealed at an event in London this is the first love song she’s ever written, but the intricacy of the lyrics solidifies her as a love ballad virtuoso, anyway. Though the track is about singer YUNGBLUD, who is no longer with Halsey, there’s no denying their love was fairytale-like: “And I hope, beautiful stranger, here you are in my arms / But I think it’s finally, finally, finally, finally, finally safe for me to fall.”
1. “3am”
“3am” describes Halsey’s mindset after a night out: in need of reassurance and love from anyone who will give it to her. She calls her entire contact list, but she just wants nothing past a few nice words: “I need it digital ’cause, baby, when it’s physical, I end up alone.” Kurstin and Chad Smith from Red Hot Chili Peppers create an irreproachable euphoria with the electric guitar and drums, respectively. The track closes with a voicemail from John Mayer, who congratulates her on her radio hit, “Without Me,” right before it transitions into that track. “3am” is already one of the most relatable bangers of the year, and it’s the best on Manic.
Rating: 4.5/5
