Halsey wants power, and that’s exactly what we will give her.

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TOP 5 

5. Bells in Santa Fe

The second verse in “Bells In Sante Fe” is what made me add this song to my top 5 list.

Halsey really had the audacity to offer to keep Jesus’s bed warm, only to rescind her offer with the line, “I don’t really mean it, ‘cause who the fuck would choose this?” And that is just the end of the verse. The whole verse goes hard. 

4. You Asked For This

Well, this one hurt. 

Halsey decided to address what it’s like to blame yourself for being in an abusive situation in “You Asked For This.” She did it well, too. The song is full of emotion, but the outro hits the hardest. 

3. Whispers

I’m a sucker for songs that deal with mental illness.

The honesty about the intrusive thoughts that can happen while you’re in a relationship and dealing with mental illness is something that I feel like Halsey’s music is made for. “Whispers” is a must-listen if you feel like your dealing with that situation in your own life right now.

2. Darling

Halsey wrote a lullaby. 

I repeat, Halsey wrote a lullaby for her daughter and it’s so nice and sweet. She repeats the line, “only you have shown how to love bein’ alive.” Halsey sings tenderly in the simple acoustic song. 

1 Ya’aburnee

Ya’aburnee means “you bury me,” with the hopes that you will die before your loved one. 

Did I mention that this is a love song dedicated to Halsey’s partner and child? Because it’s a love song for her partner and child.

 TRACK BY TRACK BREAKDOWN

1 The Tradition (4/5)

2 Bells in Santa Fe (4/5)

3 Easier than Lying (4/5)

4 Lilith (3/5)

5 Girl is a Gun (4/5)

6 You asked for this (4/5)

7 Darling (4/5)

8 1121 (4/5)

9 honey (4/5)

10 Whispers (4/5)

11 I am not a woman, I’m a god (3/5)

12 The Lighthouse (4/5)

13 Ya’aburnee (4/5)

RGM Rating

(B+)

If you think If I can’t Have Love, I Want Power is some girl boss album, you are greatly mistaken. Halsey is here to claim power, but she is also here to be as honest as ever. This album doesn’t feel like her previous albums, where the only real way to fully feel the emotions she was bringing seemed to be coming right off a heart-wrenching break-up. No, this album is different. Yes, there are still plenty of love songs, but we’re not dying for love in this album. Halsey’s identity is in herself. Damn, she even says she would never die for love, but she’s still willing to risk her heart in “1121”. I think this is the first Halsey album that I can listen to pretty much anytime. If you haven’t listened yet, I definitely recommend that you give it a shot.

Keke Riley