After Halsey’s wild success with her first two studio albums, Badlands and Hopeless Fountain Kingdom, she released her third album Manic. The long awaited album was released earlier this month on January 17th, 2020. The album has 15 tracks and yields a 47 minute runtime. Fans have been waiting for this album since the release of Halsey’s single ‘Graveyard’ in 2019. It’s fair to say, for most fans, the album didn’t disappoint. However, I can’t count myself in this majority. For me, Halsey’s album didn’t reach the potential I know she’s capable of.
I’ve been a big fan of Halsey for some time now. Both Badlands and Hopeless Fountain Kingdom are some of my favorite albums to this day. So, when I heard about a new album, I was excited to say the least. Some of my favorite things about Halsey’s work are her mixture of heartfelt lyrics and catchy melodies. Manic delivered undeniably beautiful lyrics, but was missing the music I usually enjoy. The songs sounded more like poems with unrelated music behind them.
Despite the problems I had with Halsey’s Manic, I wouldn’t say it was a bad album by any means. I had very high expectations for this album and I’m sure I would have been slightly disappointed by anything Halsey released. Although I would label Manic as Halsey’s worst album, it would have been hard to top her others. There is something to be said for Halsey’s beautiful writing and enchanting voice.
All things considered, Manic is a perfectly average album from a usually exceptional artist. Halsey consistently delivers amazing music that stays with me long after my first listening. A major problem I have with Manic is that I don’t see myself listening to the majority of the songs more than once. Some fans are touched by Halsey’s vulnerability in this album and praise it for this reason. Although I can respect this aspect of it, I can’t say I was thoroughly impressed with Halsey’s latest release.
