Look, I haven’t bought a full album on iTunes in about five years.
Part of that is thanks to changes in the way we access music. With the invention of Pandora and Spotify, it’s easy to listen to whatever you’d like without paying a fee — as long as you’re alright with the occasional ad. With a few notable exceptions, like Taylor Swift’s most recent album, “1989,” any song by any artist is usually available within days or even hours of its release; and let’s not forget YouTube, where like-minded folks gather to share lyric videos, taking necessary measures to avoid copyright infringement.
Of course, I’m also just not really a buy-an-entire-album type of person. I tend to listen to songs, not artists; as a result, my music library is large but eclectic, with music I found in movie trailers, on MTV and in the “Mad Max: Fury Road” soundtrack.
Thanks to Halsey, my extended fast from album purchases has ended.
Halsey is the stage name of Ashley Nicolette Frangipane, a 20-year-old singer/songwriter hailing from New Jersey. She released her debut album, “Badlands,” on Aug. 28, two days before she attended the VMAs. So far she’s remained under the radar except in elite circles of indie fans; she has only 26,400 Twitter followers, as opposed to, say, Taylor Swift’s 63 million.
But cut her some slack. “Badlands” came out less than a week ago.
Halsey probably won’t ever be a household name, especially not in culturally conservative Utah. She lacks the typically PG-13 rating that most musicians maintain in order to release uncensored singles on the radio, dropping frequent f-words, as well as explicit references to drugs and sex. I’m not complaining. With lyrics like “I found a martyr/ He told me that he’d never/ With his educated eyes/ And his head between my thighs,” she won’t be making any appearances on our local radio stations, but that just means she won’t suffer the fate audiences complain most about: being overplayed.
Despite all that, Halsey is gaining notoriety. In the last summer alone she’s opened for Imagine Dragons and the Weeknd, and “Badlands” held the No. 2 slot on iTunes at the time of this article’s publication. A recent New York Times article by Jon Caramanica compared Halsey to Lorde in that they are both part of a recent trend of “female rebels” – artists who reject the inherent falseness of the pop culture world in favor of the dark realism of a more underground, nonconforming lifestyle.
And “Badlands,” as a concept album, cuts straight to the ugly heart of fame, wealth and – take a deep breath – capitalism. “I sold my soul to a three-piece, and he told me I was holy,” Halsey sings in “Hold Me Down.” She tackles the issues that many artists stigmatize in their music, like mental illness, as in “Control,” and sexism, as in “Castle” (“I’m headed straight for the castle … And there’s an old man sitting on the throne that’s saying I should probably keep my pretty mouth shut”). The anthem-like “New Americana” is a harken-back to Lorde’s “Royals,” only – arguably – better. How can you beat a line like “We are the new Americana/ High on legal marijuana”?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSP4DJtRbak
Despite the definite vibes of cynicism throughout “Badlands,” the music itself is more empowering than depressing. Heavy beats and soaring electronic riffs give even the darkest songs a foot-tapping quality, as in the song “Gasoline,” and the anger that lies at the root of Halsey’s distinctive voice means that even her songs about heartbreak make you want to punch a wall, not cry into a pillow. Most of the record is best-suited to driving on a pleasant day with your windows down (or avoiding making eye contact with strangers on TRAX). It’s emotive and may induce hip-swaying; it’s also deeply addictive.
Of course, Halsey’s voice is the biggest highlight of the album. Frequently skirting on the vocal verge of “monotonous” makes the high notes and rhythm breaks even more memorable and heart-stopping. She has clarity, control and mad skills, the only downside being that singing along sort of makes you question whether you will ever have any success in life, because here is one talent you can definitely not match.
Overall, I’d say that if you’re looking for a new artist to obsess over, Halsey’s got your back (as long as you don’t mind the occasional f-word). “Badlands” is available on iTunes, Spotify and YouTube.
@EmilyJuchau
