With every album Halsey releases, they take us on a musical journey. With the exception of Manic, Halsey has always been known for their concept albums. Badlands took us through vast wastelands and a dystopian world while Hopeless Fountain Kingdom took us through a Romeo and Juliet like story.
On Friday August 27, Halsey released their fourth album If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power. First off, we can’t believe that Halsey has already put out a fourth album. Considering they alluded to Manic possibly being their last album for a while. We should have known better. Halsey’s mind never stops producing. With this latest album, Halsey got to do something they have always wanted to.
Halsey has said they always wanted to do an industrial rock album like Nine Inch Nails. To create their fourth album, they got their biggest wish by working with Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross from Nine Inch Nails who produced the album. We’re obsessed with Halsey’s latest creation and haven’t stopped listening to it since it was released. We already told you about their IMAX film which we wrote a review for. Now we’re talking about the album.
In addition to working with Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, Halsey also worked with a few other big names like Dave Grohl, who drums on “honey,” and Lindsey Buckingham, who plays guitar on “Darling.” Halsey knows what they want, and it is obvious that there was so much time put into this album.
If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power is a hauntingly beautiful album. Every song Halsey sings tells a story. The album deals with things like the highs and lows of their career, impending parenthood, but most importantly, taking power back and being able to still own their sexuality without judgment from others. This album, serves as a reminder from Halsey that we can do things on our own terms and nobody can dictate anything about who we are or how we live our lives.
If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power is a lyrical masterpiece. The musicality and arrangement of songs like our personal favorite ‘Bells in Santa Fe,’ have a theatrical element and it gives us chills every time we hear it. Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’s signature sound is heavily present throughout. If you have listened to their scores for films like The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, then you know what we mean.
The tone of the album is at times dark but that is Halsey’s MO. There are a few lighter tracks like the sweet ‘Darling’ and ‘Ya’aburnee’ which are songs for their partner Alev Aydin and their new baby Ender Ridley Aydin. We’re not crying. You’re crying.
Halsey always outdoes themselves with their albums, but we admit that If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power is on an entirely different level. It showcases Halsey’s growth especially vocally. We sincerely hope that they get recognized for this incredible body of work because it really is a powerful album unlike anything they have done before.
We’ve been listening to this album every single day and now have the difficult task of ranking the albums tracks. Believe us when we say this was hard to do. We love a lot of the songs on this album so ranking them was not easy.
13. “Easier Than Lying”
Lyrics That Hit Us:
I’m only whatever you make me
And you make me more and more a villain every day
But you don’t know, you reap, you sow
Whatever you give to me, from yourself, you take
Well, if you’re a hater, then hate the creator
It’s in your image I’m made
12. “You Asked For This”
Lyrics That Hit Us:
Go on and be a big girl
Or everybody’s gonna drown you out
Go on and be a big girl
You asked for this now
You better show ’em why you talk so loud
11. “1121”
Lyrics That Hit Us:
Took one in thе temple, my tongue is a vеssel
I try to be careful with the thing inside my chest
You shoot for the memory so you can forget me
I’ll leave if you let me, ooh
10. “The Lighthouse”
Lyrics That Hit Us:
So I showed him all my teeth and then I laughed out loud ’cause I never wanted savin,’ I just wanted to be found
9. “The Tradition”
Lyrics That Hit Us:
So take what you want, take what you can
Take what you please, don’t give a damn
Ask for forgiveness, never permission
Take what you want, take what you can
Take what you please, don’t givе a damn
It’s in the blood and this is tradition
8. “Honey”
Lyrics That Hit Us:
Out and about without a reason or rhyme
And now she’s dancin’ on a table and she spins on a dime
But she’s hell in a basket, just makin’ a racket
I love every second, it’s fuckin’ fantastic
7. “Ya’aburnee”
Lyrics That Hit Us:
I think we could live forever
In each other’s faces ’cause I’ll
Always see my youth in you
And if we don’t live forever
Maybe one day, we’ll trade places
Darling, you will bury me
Before I bury you
6. “Darling”
Lyrics That Hit Us:
Until it’s time to see the light
I’ll make my own with you each night
I’ll kidnap all the stars and I will keep them in your eyes
I’ll wrap them up in velvet twine
And hang ’em from a fishin’ line
So I can see them anytime I like
5. “Girl Is A Gun”
Lyrics That Hit Us:
I feel lighter in the waistline
With no hands around me, no spit in my teeth
No, I’m not your daydream, I won’t have your baby
Stop ’cause you’re killin’ my vibe
It’s a shot in the dark, I’m not a walk in the park
I come loaded with the safety switched off
This girl is a gun and we’ve been havin’ some fun
And I can show you if you turn the lights on
4. “Whispers”
Lyrics That Hit Us:
“You do not want this”
This is the voice in your head that says, “You do not want him”
This is that space in your bed that says, “Bet I could fuck him”
Isn’t it lonely?
These are the standards to which you could hold me
Think that you know me
You think that you could if you hold me
Think you could try to console me, but I do not know me
No, I do not know me
‘Cause I, ’cause
3. “Lilith”
Lyrics That Hit Us:
You got me thinkin’ that I was too mean
Well, everything that I say, I believe
Tuck a knife with my heart up my sleeve
And change like a season, reason for nothin’
2. “I Am Not A Woman, I’m A God”
Lyrics That Hit Us:
Every day, I got a smile where my frown goes
A couple bodies in the garden where the grass grows
I take ’em with me to the grave in a suitcase
Maybe I could be a different human in a new place
1. “Bells In Santa Fe”
Lyrics That Hit Us:
Well, maybe I could hold you in the dark
You won’t even notice me depart
Secondhand thread in a secondhand bed
With a second man’s head
Leavin’ through the door without a word
You won’t even notice, little bird
Better off dead, so I reckon I’m headed to Hell instead
So don’t wait for me, don’t wait for me, wait-ah
It’s not a happy ending
Don’t wait for me, don’t wait for me, wait-ah
It’s not a happy ending
What do you think of Halsey’s album? What are your favorite lyrics? How would you rank the music? Sound off in the comments.
If I Can’t Have Love I Want Power is available now on all streaming platforms.
