Badlands [LP]

by Halsey

Overview

An internet phenomenon, New Jersey's Ashley Frangipane, aka Halsey, parlayed their over 16,000 YouTube subscribers into a record deal with Astralwerks at age 18, a deal based primarily around their moody, synth-heavy single "Ghost." Two years later, Badlands finds the 20-year-old budding pop sensation delivering a set of songs that sound a lot like that fateful first single. Which isn't a bad thing. The sound that defined their D.I.Y. music is still apparent, though they did collaborate here with a handful of like-minded producers including Lido, the Futuristics, and Son Lux, who helped flesh out their highly personal songs into even more dramatic, sonically dense recordings. On the surface, Badlands is all chilly atmosphere, thanks to a bevy of thick bass tones, pulsing synthesizers, and rattlesnake percussion loops. It's a goth throwback that brings to mind Danny Lohner's work with Nine Inch Nails. However, underneath that icy landscape, Halsey burns with a feminist confidence, spitting out lyrics with their soulful voice that sounds like Bjoerk with vocal fry. On "Castle," they sing "I'm headed straight for the castle/They've got the kingdom locked up/And there's an old man sitting on a throne they're saying, 'I should probably keep my pretty mouth shut.'" Of course, it's clear from the start of Badlands that keeping their mouth shut is the last thing Halsey plans to do. As they proclaim on the taut, slow-tempo jam "Hold Me Down," "My demons are begging me to open up my mouth." Thankfully, Halsey consistently brings a strong sense of self to their content at every turn, musing with blithe emotion about their sexuality and creative independence. They also have a knack for singling out little generational touchstones that lend their songs an anthemic quality. On "New Americana," their vocals double-tracked like the children's chorus on Pink Floyd's "Another Brick in the Wall," they sing, "We are the new Americana/High on legal marijuana/Raised on Biggie and Nirvana." Interestingly, while their noir-ish, older-than-their-years image has drawn comparisons to contemporaries like Lana Del Rey and Lorde (and yes, there are similarities) musically, they have more in common with male-fronted acts like New York's X Ambassadors, merging dark, electronic indie with the rhythmic bump and lyrical flow of R&B. There's also something angry, literate, and youthfully defiant about Badlands that brings to mind the sneer of Garbage's Shirley Manson. Ultimately, it's all of Halsey's seemingly contradictory elements brought together that lend Badlands such a fascinating topography. ~ Matt Collar

Product Details

Release Date:	08/28/2015
Label:	Astralwerks / Virgin Emi
UPC:	0602547419811

Tracks

1. Castle
2. Hold Me Down
3. New Americana
4. Drive
5. Roman Holiday
6. Colors
7. Coming Down
8. Haunting
9. Control
10. Young God
11. Ghost

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Halsey   Primary Artist,Lead Vocals
Tim Anderson   Multi Instruments
Aron Forbes   Guitar
Levi Gunn   Orchestra,Children's Chorus
Mason Purece   Orchestra,Children's Chorus
Merit Leighton   Orchestra,Children's Chorus
Jayda Brown   Orchestra,Children's Chorus
Emma Gunn   Orchestra,Children's Chorus

Technical Credits

The Futuristics   Producer
James Mtume   Composer
Pete Lyman   Mastering
Dan Grech-Marguerat   Mixing,Programming
Chris Spilfogel   Programming,Additional Production
Johnny Cash   Composer
Tim Bran   Composer
Tim Anderson   Composer,Producer,Programming,Instrumentation
Lido   Producer,Additional Production
Roy Kerr   Composer
Tim Larcombe   Producer
Sam Miller   Producer
Justyn Pilbrow   Composer,Producer
Ryan McMahon   Composer
Jim Eliot   Composer
Sarah Barlow   Photography
Jim Elliot   Composer
Chris Hugall   Composer
S.A.   Producer
Ryan Lott   Composer
Trevor Simpson   Producer
Charlie Hugall   Composer,Producer
Alex Schwartz   Composer
Dennis Stainken   Marketing
Joe Khajadourian   Composer
Captain Cuts   Producer
Aron Forbes   Additional Production
Peder Losnegard   Composer
Benjamin Berger   Composer
Dylan Bauld   Composer
Stephen Schofield   Photography
Ashley Frangipane   Composer
Dylan Scott   Composer,Producer,Composer,Producer
Jeremy Vuernick   A&R
Garrett Hilliker   Art Direction
Heavy Mellow   Additional Production
Chandra Uber   Composer
Kalkutta   Additional Production
Ryan Loti   Composer
Dylan William   Producer,Vocal Producer,Additional Production
Ryan Del Vecchlo   A&R
Rob Tortelli   Composer
Larzz Principato   Composer,Additional Production
Yung Gud   Additional Production