TEST SPIN: Halsey — Badlands

 

With her cropped electric blue hair and melancholic pop-electric sound, it would be easy to write off twenty-year old Halsey as a washed up combination of Lana Del Rey and Lorde, a product of her generation’s obsession with romanticizing sadness and showing a disdain for the ordinary. However, to do so would be a mistake, as Halsey brings something much more unique to the table: A raw understanding about the troubles and joys of adolescence. Halsey has made no secret of the fact that she’s had her fair share of struggles, ranging from homelessness and drugs to the trials of being “tri-bi,” meaning biracial, bisexual and bipolar. It comes as no surprise, then, that the album, titled Badlands, is described by Halsey as a metaphor for her mental state. “Even if the badlands are all you’ve ever known,” she explained on her Twitter, “you can find solace outside them.”

The album listens like a novel reads: Each song a chapter leaving you wondering what will happen next.