Like cinema, modern pop is getting longer. And like the film that partially inspired Manic – Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind – these 16 tracks are a winding but beautifully erratic path between hope and despair and back.
Like flashes of memory, Manic ping-pongs all over the place stylistically, making for a constantly compelling listen. Clementine feels destined to be screamed at bedroom doors with its Ari Up-ish sneer-shouting; Forever is all ornate piano folk which splits apart into chaos; The Jennifer’s Body-sampling Killing Boys is appropriately eerie and grandiose. More grounded than fantastical previous album Hopeless Fountain Kingdom, Manic is a deeper look at the Halsey behind Halsey.
Manic by Halsey is out January 17 via EMI.
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