Manic

by Halsey

Overview

As they were in the throes of completing their third studio album in 2019, Halsey told Rolling Stone the record would contain "hip-hop, rock, country, f***ing everything because it's so manic. It's soooooo manic." It was so manic, Halsey decided Manic was the right title for this high-profile album, the first they've released since 2017's Hopeless Fountain Kingdom helped turn them into a regular presence at the top of the charts. As it turns out, Manic is indeed an appropriate name for an album so filled with twists and turns it feels like a double-LP crammed into the course of a 47-minute record. Such a description is slightly misleading, though, suggesting that the album contains a series of distinct shifts in mood when it is very much a record of its moment, thrumming along to the tasteful shape-shifting hybrids that populate playlists of all genres. Listen closely, certain stylistic aspects assert themselves -- a fingerpicked guitar line rolls along here, there's a reggae bounce there -- and their choice of guest stars is telling. Alanis Morissette -- who is by some measures a clear precursor to Halsey -- vies with rapper Dominic Fike and Suga of K-pop sensations BTS for the splashiest cameo, with each of their appearances labeled as an "interlude." The lack of concrete song titles winds up emphasizing the presence of artists who cross genres, a clear sign of how Manic's seemingly scattershot appearance disguises that Halsey designed the album to appeal to as broad an audience as possible, streamlining all these sounds so they slide onto every conceivable playlist. It's a shrewd ploy that winds up not seeming crass thanks to Halsey's affectless emo bloodletting -- she never resists an opportunity to hit their target squarely on the nose, such as the "I'm so glad I never ever had a baby with you" refrain on "You Should Be Sad" -- and the clever way Manic is sequenced. The artiest, wobbliest songs start the record, followed by their saddest and starkest ballads, so it takes a while before it settles into its comfortable groove of adolescent angst doubling as AAA crossover pop. Such distinctions would be lost on the playlists individual tracks may later call home, but assembled in this fashion as a proper album, Manic showcases Halsey at their nerviest and at their best. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	01/17/2020
Label:	Capitol / Virgin Emi
UPC:	0602508243646

Tracks

1. Track 1
2. Track 2
3. Graveyard
4. Track 4
5. Track 5
6. Track 6
7. Track 7
8. Track 8
9. Without Me
10. Track 10
11. Track 14
12. Track 15
13. Track 16

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Halsey   Primary Artist,Guitar,Vocals,Guitar (Acoustic)
Suga   Primary Artist,Rap
Alanis Morissette   Primary Artist
Marshmello   Primary Artist
BTS   Primary Artist
Juice WRLD   Primary Artist,Rap
Dominic Fike   Primary Artist
Chad Smith   Drums
Greg Kurstin   Drums,Mellotron,Percussion,Bass (Vocal),Lap Steel Guitar,Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric)
Amy Allen   Guitar,Vocals (Background)
Mark Williams   Guitar,Keyboards
Jon Bellion   Keyboards
The Monsters & Strangerz   Keyboards
John Cunningham   Guitar
Louis Bell   Keyboards
Jasper Sheff   Guitar
Arianna Powell   Guitar,Guitar (Acoustic),Vocals (Background)

Technical Credits

Serban Ghenea   Mixing
Scott Moore   Assistant Engineer
Chris Gehringer   Mastering Engineer
Will Quinnell   Assistant Mastering Engineer
John Hanes   Engineer,Mixing Engineer,Mixing Assistant
Justin Timberlake   Composer
Mike Farrell   Composer
P-Dogg   Producer,Programming
Suga   Composer,Producer,Programming
Timothy Mosley   Composer
Timbaland   Composer
Dave Lubben   Composer
Andrew Jackson   Composer,Producer
Benny Blanco   Producer
Greg Kurstin   Composer,Engineer,Producer
Alanis Morissette   Composer
Nathan Perez   Composer
Lido   Producer,Programming
Benjamin Levin   Composer
Amy Allen   Composer
Marshmello   Composer,Producer,Programming
Michelle Mancini   Mastering Engineer
Alex Pasco   Engineer
Nate Ruess   Composer
Romy Madley Croft   Composer
Jordan Johnson   Composer
Ricardo Gama   Engineer
Liz Isik   A&R
Mark Williams   Programming,Composer
Stefan Johnson   Composer
Ed Sheeran   Composer
Freddy Wexler   Composer
Noonie Bao   Composer
Ammar Malik   Composer
Alex Young   Composer,Producer,Programming
Duck Blackwell   Composer,Producer
Peder Losnegard   Composer
Jon Bellion   Producer,Programming
Jonathan Bellion   Composer
Halsey   Producer
Ryan Del Vecchio   A&R
Cashmere Cat   Producer
Dylan Bauld   Mixing
Julian Burg   Engineer
Scott Storch   Composer
Magnus August Hoiberg   Composer
The Monsters & Strangerz   Engineer,Producer,Programming
Fred Gibson   Composer,Producer
Ashley Frangipane   Composer
Jeremy Vuernick   A&R
Brandon Buttner   Engineer,Vocal Producer
Andrew Wells   Composer,Producer
Brittany Amaradio   Composer
Illenium   Remix Engineer,Mastering Engineer
Kevin Snevely   Composer
Delacey   Composer
Brenton Duvall   Composer,Producer
Sarah Aarons   Composer
Finneas O'Connell   Composer
Johnathan Carter Cunningham   Composer
Gian Stone   Composer,Producer,Programming
Jarad Higgins   Composer
John Cunningham   Producer,Programming
Dominic Fike   Composer
Louis Bell   Composer,Engineer,Producer,Programming
Ojivolta   Producer
Jasper Sheff   Composer,Producer,Programming
Daniel S. Acorsi   Engineer
Aria McKnight   A&R
Ed Reyes   Assistant Engineer