Music Review #2
Halsey: Blowin’ Up Pop Punk
Halsey has recently blown up in the pop punk music universe. Born Ashley Frangipane in New Jersey, the now 21 year old sings about whatever she sets her mind to. She recently released the album Badlands and immediately kicked off an on-going US tour. After dealing with financial issues, she released the song Ghost that gained her many calls from various record companies. The track later landed on her EP, Room 93.
First listen of Halsey and she comes off as a slightly more pop punk version of Lorde; her turquoise cropped hair and simple 90’s sense of style adds to the edgy vibe. Badlands is the perfect record for driving down the outer road with all the windows down on a crisp fall night, but her supernatural voice is the perfect background to almost any occasion.
Shortly after Badlands was released Halsey gushed on Twitter about her upcoming song with Justin Bieber. While you’re sitting around for this promising collaboration, try her solo songs out for a spin. Listen to Badlands in through your morning routine and you’ll be ready to own the day.
Melanie Martinez: Voice of Experience
Melanie Martinez, a native of New York, kicked off her career as a finalist on The Voice in 2012. In early 2014 she released her EP, Carousel, gaining her a devoted fan base. Late this fall Martinez released her album named Crybaby, a sickly sweet twist of childhood vibes. The entire album follows the theme of its title with songs such as Milk and Cookies and Dollhouse. The childhood theme also goes into the lyrics of all her songs distorting the happy preschool vibe portrayed. Crybaby’s album art showcases Martinez’s signature hairstyle, a half-and-half dye job, often half black
and the other a bright hue. The album has gotten loads of publicity as it debuted as Number Six on the Billboard 200 charts, but shockingly hasn’t gotten much radio play. Her album release also kicked off a tour in Oceania and its surrounding areas. Don’t let the packaging confuse you, Martinez is definitely not making kid stuff – her songs hint at broken families, drug and alcohol abuse alongside unhealthy relationships. Try Playdate or Sippy Cup for a psychedelic start to your day.