After hearing Halsey’s newest single, Now or Never, on the radio, I can admit that I was a little bit skeptical about how I would feel about this new album, and it appears that these feelings are justified upon listening to the album in its entirety. I knew that my love for Badlands and all of the tracks on the album was going to be hard to beat. I had high hopes for HFK yet I didn’t think Halsey would disappoint. I’m here to give you my track by track opinion about Halsey’s newest album, Hopeless Fountain Kingdom.
The Prologue: Telling the story of Romeo and Juliet, while romantic I feel serves no purpose for the album call me shallow and non perceptive, but a deep talking voice doesn’t make this a song. Copying a classic tale and putting it into the beginning of your album lacks originality and makes it seem like your songs don’t come from your own experiences but are rather taken from the minds of others. These songs no already seem non relatable and not personal to the artist.
100 Letters: I actually really like the sound of this song at the beginning. I feel like it sounds like the Halsey that I fell in love with. The chorus is catchy and I can see myself singing along to this song. The way the title of this song is worked into this song makes it romantic and gives it a deeper meaning. In Romeo and Juliet, they passed letters to each other at times and they could never be together and often spent time apart. This song seems like it was once again influenced by the play and causes me to further believe that the album lacks originality.
Eyes Closed: I know that I seem to be driving this comparison really hard, but I truly think that this whole album is based on the play and I personally believe that Halsey could have tried a little harder when writing this album. In the play, Juliet is forced to marry Paris and in this song, Halsey says she will keep her eyes closed so ‘he’ looks just like you. Other than that, this song is alright. It has a stereotypical pop beat. The vocals on this track are alright, but overall, this song just doesn’t do it for me.
Heaven In Hiding: I actually love this song. I think the beginning has a nice beat, and overall this song has a nice and unique song. I don’t like the chorus as much as I do the rest of the song but this is so far one of my favorite songs on the album.
Alone: I like the beginning of this song it has a sort of edge to it. There are strong vocals in this song which helps to carry the melody. I’m not totally unconvinced that this song isn’t also a R&J rip off. However that thought is overpowered by the catchiness of this song.
Now or Never: This song caused a lot of controversy with fans of Halsey. Many of them didn’t like this song at the time of it’s original release saying that Halsey was “selling out” and that she’s “changed”. There are many reasons why both of these statements are in fact false. Halsey wrote this song before the release of her debut album Badlands and therefor couldn’t have wrote this song to sell out as she wrote it long before the day of its release. As for the fact that she has changed, well artists are people too and they go through changes and go through experiences that cause them to grow. It can’t be expected that an artist is going to be making the same music forever. As for the actual song, I like it enough, it is a little too mainstream for my taste but I’m willing to acknowledge a hit when I hear one.
Sorry: Right off the bat, I love the softer vibe to this song. There are strong vocals in the song which support the pop ballad feel of this song. I also really like the lyrics in this song I think they are powerful.
Good Morning: This song marks the halfway point of the album. It is a young boy talking about Hopeless Fountain Kingdom. Halsey then creepily comes in singing ‘the sun is coming up’. I think this song is meant to be inspiring when the boy said HFK is a state of mind not a place, however I find it irrelevant.
Lie: The beginning lyrics of these songs are meaningful and symbolic. I see what Halsey was trying to do here, but I don’t particularly like the way that this song is executed. I don’t like the chorus of this song or the way that the vocals were executed throughout the chorus. I honestly hate Quavo I personally do not think that he fits the genre or adds anything unique or constructive to this song. I wish Halsey had gotten another alternative artist to collaborate with her on this song.
Walls Could Talk: I like the idea of this song but I honestly hate the chorus. I don’t know if it’s the weird electronic type vibe or something but this song really doesn’t do it for me. I don’t mind the lyrics or the first verse of the song it’s just basically everything else I don’t like. I feel like Halsey missed the mark for a lot of the choruses on the album considering I like most of the songs up until we actually reach the chorus of the song.
Bad at Love: I really like the beginning of this song. I love the lyrics I think they have strong meanings and are actually personal and not a rip off of one of the most well known love story. I love the beat, and the chorus I just think that this song carries itself so well. This is definitely another one of my favorites on the album. I love the soft ending I think it leaves you with an interesting feeling after the strong song.
Don’t Play: I can’t decide if I like this song or not after the third time through. There are certain aspects that I like and others that I can’t stand. I guess other than the first and second verses I don’t like the rest of the song. The chorus lacks originality and is more in your face than it is music. I am really disappointed with Halsey because of this song. I feel like she honestly could have done a lot better. I know I sound like a disapproving parent but I feel like there was a lot of hype built up to the album and it’s left me with a bad taste in my mouth.
Strangers: This song was largely hyped up because it is a collaboration with Fifth Harmony’s Lauren Jauregui. I know that this song is a huge milestone for the bisexual community, but I honestly don’t like this song that much. It has all of the makings to be a pop hit, but that honestly just isn’t my taste. The song is really good, don’t get me wrong. It’s just not my taste. I think Halsey and Lauren’s voices harmonize well together and add a nice blend of sounds.
Angel on Fire: The beginning vocals for Angel on Fire have a sound similar to those of the song Strange Love off Halsey’s debut album, Badlands. This song to me feels more like Halsey, from the vocals to the lyrics, this song seems to speak my language more than the other songs off of this album. That is up until the chorus when this song completely loses me.
Devil in Me: I think the lyrics of this song are powerful. I like what this song is trying to say and how it executes it. With strong vocals and a good beat, this song is up there on my list of favorite songs on the album. I don’t mind the chorus of this song. I think it flows with the rest of the song and doesn’t take away from the rest of the song.
Hopeless: This is the final song on the album and even with the first line I’m hooked. I really like the sound of this song and I think it’s matched with strong vocals. The lyrics are well written and relatable. It’s has a unique sound that works with the rest of the song. I think this is a good end to the album and leaves you with a good feeling. I think it is important to have a good finish to your album and this song hits the mark.
Overall, I honestly don’t like the album that much. On a scale to ten this album probably rates a 4/10. I’m not saying that the album isn’t good but it really isn’t my taste and not at all what I expected from Halsey. I guess I’ll have to keep Badlands on repeat and it is safe to say that I will NOT be purchasing tickets for her HFK tour. Thank god I waited until after the album dropped to decide if I wanted tickets or not because lets be honest, those tickets are way overpriced anyways.
Music By Mollie 