At this point, we all know who Halsey is. I mean if you do not then you have probably been living under a rock or listening to your 8-track tapes from the 1970s – and if you are, there better be some Queen on those tapes!
In any case, the 22-yr old singer/songwriter, who was diagnosed with bipolar disorder as a teenager, cranked out hits from her debut concept album, Badlands, that was a metaphor for her mental state. Songs like “Ghost” and “Control” are dark and filled with images of a loneliness and desperation. It is a brilliant album. One deserving of its platinum status in the US.
Well, the New Jersey-native is back with her sophomore record, hopeless fountain kingdom. Halsey decided that her second album will also be a concept album. It follows the story of two lovers lost in an alternate realm that is connected with the world created on Badlands.
Musically though, if you listened to the former album, it was on heavy rotation for alternative radio, but was not really widely radio-friendly, whereas, hopeless fountain kingdom is decidedly attempting to reach a far wider audience, which includes the anthemic lead single, “Now Or Never”. While the album is thematically dark, her electro-pop sound is still edgy, twisted and ambitious. There is so much variety throughout the album mostly featuring her amazingly breathy vocals and heartbreaking, poetic lyrics.
If you are looking for something different from Halsey, there is a good chance you are going to find it on hopeless fountain kingdom from the short interludes and piano ballads. It is not all progressive electronic thumping and cheesy lyrics like “Closer”. It is so much more. It is truly art, whether Halsey would agree or not. For some, chaos is art.
The new album, hopeless fountain kingdom by Halsey, is available now on iTunes. Do not forget to check out the music video for “Now Or Never” below.
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