Badlands Album Review

Halsey’s debut album Badlands, was highly anticipated by 14-year old me. I discovered them

when they were barely touring their EP, through a youtube song cover. I immediately found

myself becoming a fan after getting a glimpse of what kind of music they would be making. I’ve

always been into indie-pop and alternative music, and with the grunge wave being at it’s peak

around 2014-2015, I knew success would be in their future.

Though unfortunately, their album fell a little short. Their music was just lacking that something

that would turn Badlands from a good album into a great album. Their lead singles, “New

Americana” and “Ghost,” were strong starts to the album, and I personally find myself leaning

into “Ghost” more than the latter. The lyrics are quite poetic, with clever rhymes and

euphemisms to describe situations. In “New Americana,” they mention being “raised on Biggie

Nirvana” which is a nod to their cultural upbringing being biracial. This theme remains for the

entirety of the album, but the lyrics seem to not really have a direction. While I like these songs,

they don’t really have any substance, and to me just seem like an attempt to play off of the

grunge, alternative wave hitting young teens in the U.S. around this time in 2015.

The song “Colors” is arguably their most popular song for a number of reasons. The music video

is particularly entertaining, featuring “Teen Wolf” actor Tyler Posey which includes a shocking

plot twist at the end. It currently has over 200 million views on Youtube. Additionally, it also has

the infamous lyrics taken from a Tumblr post that Halsey posted themselves on their blog. “You

were red, and you liked me ‘cause I was blue...” The song is nice, but it is a little too dramatic

and not relatable for me. I think the drama of the song and the rumors that it was written about

The 1975 artist Matty Healy is what made it so popular. Though I do have to mention “Colors pt.

II” being an excellent b-side track, and I really enjoy the producing which just enhances the

song.

“Castle,” “Gasoline,” and “Hurricane,” are all songs with a similar message, with the last one

being the only other song coming from their EP besides “Ghost.” All of these in terms of lyricism

take on the same concept of dramatizing one’s self and feeling exhausted of having to follow

societal norms. The lyricism is not something that I think anyone can relate to, but the

instrumentals make the songs a lot better. Their use of Japanese instruments such as the Koto

mixed with dark pop is a combination I didn’t know I would like or that would work well. I also

really love the mixing of their vocals in Hurricane along with the reverberated beats heard more

towards the end.

For me, there is a long list of songs that are skips on this album, including but not limited to

“Roman Holiday,” and “Strange Love.” They are not particularly bad songs, but I don’t really care

to listen to them for more than thirty seconds. In contrast, “Control” and “Drive” are some of my

favorites on the entire album! “Control” pulls off the grunge, self-dramatizing concept perfectly,

and I particularly love the way the instrumentals get fuller and more intense as the song plays.

To me, it emphasizes the lyrics alluding to a mental struggle, sometimes making us feel manic.

“Drive,” while unrelated, is my favorite again for the instrumentals as it really encompasses what

it’s like to be driving along the freeway in California, coming from a Californian herself! The lyrics

on these two songs are also the best on the entire album.

Overall, the album, while it isn’t bad, isn’t a great album either. The lyrics are a little too much for

me especially after the years that have passed. They are very indicative of the time period they

were written in, as well as Halsey’s young age when they wrote their album. They were around

nineteen years old and very much into Tumblr and it is a little obvious in this first album. The

production and mixing is very strong, but I think their writing is lacking. Their second album,

Hopeless Fountain Kingdom is better, and I would really love to see what else they put out as

they continue to grow as an artist.