Halsey’s Latest Album Disappoints With A Lack Of Originality And Mundane Melodies

By: Kaelie Macaulay

Arts Editor

As the music industry transforms into primarily pop music, Halsey begins to stray from the alternative genre, which dissatisfies fans with the unoriginal lyrics and the cliché pop rhythms.

Even with Halsey’s stunning vocals, “Hopeless Fountain Kingdom,” disappoints with the stereotypical pop sound as Halsey distances herself from the alternative genre. Often times obnoxious and overused sound effects cover the true concept of the album.

Ashley Nicolette Frangipane, professionally known as Halsey, is a successful American singer and songwriter with a total of three record-breaking albums. Halsey’s first studio album, “Badlands,” released in 2015, reached number two on the US Billboard 200 and since has been certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.

Photos: American songwriter and singer, Halsey, performs a collection of songs from her latest album, “Hopeless Fountain Kingdom,” on the Late Show on June 9. Although the album was highly conceptual, the album ultimately failed to live up to the standard of Halsey’s previous albums with typical lyrics and pop melodies.

Halsey’s latest album, “Hopeless Fountain Kingdom,” was released on June 2, from the music label, Astralwerks and was produced by Benny Blanco, Cashmere Cat, Happy Perez, Greg Kurstin, Ricky Reed and Lido.

The newest addition to Halsey’s renowned music career, “Hopeless Fountain Kingdom” is supposed to be a conceptual album with the aim to portray a pair of lovers in the futuristic world, picking up where “Badlands” left off. Halsey cleverly begins the album with a musical monologue called “The Prologue” which features a reading of the beginning of Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet.” This effectively allows the listener to keep the theme of star-crossed lovers as a forethought throughout the album.

“Hopeless Fountain Kingdom,” Halsey’s newest addition to her collection of conceptual albums, fails to impress with a sudden change in style which is stereotypical to the modern day pop genre. Accompanied by an excessive use of sound effects, the album disappoints with its inability to stray from a traditional pop style. Video courtesy of Vevo via Youtube.

“Hopeless Fountain Kingdom’s,” success was propelled by the hit single “Now or Never,” which features a pop melody accompanied by Halsey’s remarkable vocals. Compared to other songs on the album, “Now or Never” does not showcase as many vocal edits, which is a fresh change from the other tracks.

Unlike her previous albums, Halsey adds an array of new instruments and FX sounds to her melodies. While the special effects can be overwhelming at times, Halsey showcases unheard, warped sounds that add a refreshing take on normal pop music.

The song “Sorry,” is the lone classical track on the album, stripped of often times excessive vocal effects and features Halsey’s natural voice over a somber piano ballad. “Sorry,” gives the listener a glimpse into Halsey’s previous style of alternative-pop with fewer effects and more meaningful lyrics.

Since her boost of fame that came from her duet with the Chainsmokers in the song “Closer,” her songs have become increasingly more mainstream which disappoints because of the lack of diversity and originality. In the newest track, Halsey strays from her alternative background to a more pop sound, disappointing fans with her change of style. Although the album has a unique concept, the songs are extremely conventional and ordinary for the pop genre.

Despite the catchy harmonies and the introspective concept, “Hopeless Fountain Kingdom,” ultimately disappoints with its typical pop sound and unmeaningful lyrics compared to her previous albums.

“Hopeless Fountain Kingdom,” is available for purchase on iTunes, Google Play, Spotify and more. The album features explicit language and is not suitable for young children.