Badlands (studio album) by Halsey

From ExTeaSea 01/31/2020 00:01

Some of these comments are just rude lol. I like it.

a bland, basic album not worth recognition. pretty much bad

Not as bad as the comments here suggest. She shows good song writing ability on tracks like 'Drive'. Very seductive debut album worth the listen.

Not as awful as everyone else is making it out to be, but it is definitely generic and unimpressive throughout. A mediocre album with interesting themes that unfortunately never get fully fleshed out; a forgettable piece of work.

From cestuneblague 08/12/2016 14:26

Only a young artist with so much unbridled confidence can make an album this bad. Or perhaps more accurately, this non-descript and flat-footed. Perhaps the long hype train that's been chugging since her first single nearly three years ago have gone to the head, as on this she swaggers with the feeling that she's the voice of a generation and full of innovative, inspiring ideas. Instead you get a ton of cheesy self-glorifying wannabe-anthems ("New America"), blunt and stilted metaphors ("Colors") and derivative synth-hoppers (pretty much all of the above & the rest). At this point it seems like she's just pilfered the bottom-of-the-barrel z-sides from Sky Ferreira and trying to spin it as something important.

Overall there seems to be a much greater interest in the image and idea of Halsey herself (racially diverse, overtly sexually fluid and the millenial-staple of outspoken political grandstanding) but as a songwriter and composer she has a long, long, LONGGGGGG way to go before she can be taken seriously as a musician and an artist.

From Kamens 12/06/2015 03:32

Third worst of 2015, only ahead of Kid Cudi and twenty one pilots. Truly horrific. New Americana is the worst single of the year.

Right now she's all image, because musically this is just... well weightless is the nicest way to put it. I think as a young artist it's more important to experiment with styles and find out her true style, but it seems like she thinks she's the voice of a generation and can make beautiful, epic, grand orchestral pop... when really it's at best cheesy and at worst like being smothered in melted vanilla, from self-mythologizing would be anthems like "New Americana" or blunt, mixed-up metaphors of "Colors" to some of the un-sexiest sexed up tracks imaginable, it's just a limp and run-of-the-mill record trying to be the opening battle cry of a force-to-be-reckoned-with artist, but if that indeed is her true calling she has a long, long way to go.

It's fun, but New Americana isn't that great of a song.

From PsychologistHD 09/17/2015 16:45

Has a more forgettable record ever been this hyped?

From louisjwyatt 09/17/2015 15:58

Gave this a listen after Rolling Stone have it a rave review (I know, what the hell was I thinking)? God this is just, I don't know. The music and lyrics are entirely disconnected and New Americana just sounds like ill-informed self-gratification. When she all of a sudden broke into the chorus to Biggie's "Juicy," I can't tell you how hard I cringed. If you want to listen to a naive girl who seemingly knows very little about music or pop culture talk about her musical interests, definitely waste your time with this.