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Halsey Should Just Be Herself
The singer’s new album is lost in a sea of elaborate impersonations.
“Letter to God (1983)” and “Panic Attack” have little to do with their supposed influences — Bruce Springsteen and Stevie Nicks, respectively — other than sharing rhythmic similarities to “Dancing in the Dark” and “Dreams.” Halsey claims Tori Amos for “Life of the Spider” simply because it’s a solo piano track. Only two beloved artist callouts make real sense: Britney Spears, whose “Lucky” is interpolated on Halsey’s fame-weary song of the same name, and Dolly Parton, whose twang is approximated on “Hometown,” a chipper highlight about dying young, There are unique nuances here and there — “Darwinism” surrounds a piano ballad with spacey ambiance, the beat of “Hurt Feelings” flickers before a muffled bass drum takes over — but this is a sonically conservative record that’s not as adventurous or synthy as past Halsey.
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