Cornchip

01. Ashley An interesting choice for the opening track to be sure. It sort of reminds me of a more emotional demo of "Nightmare". I like the distorted drums and the distress in her voice during the chorus, it's pretty alright. The title of the song is also quite fitting, considering the personal nature of this album. 6.5/10 02. clementine More than anything else on this track, I connect to the lyrics first and foremost. The screamed backing vocals during the chorus that have the slightest hint of playfulness make me want to get up and dance rebelliously, but the overall sound makes me want to slump down in a recliner and cry, and it's such a wonderful contradiction. This song grew on me a LOT since I first heard it as a single. 8/10 03. Graveyard This was definitely my favorite single out of the 6 that were released for Manic. The bouncy but impactful drums meld together so well with the electronic "doot"s that pop in and out, and it all harmonizes wonderfully with the wavy synths, as well as Halsey's beautiful melodies and catchy yet thoughtful lyricism. 10/10 04. You should be sad The lyrics are so, so, SO amazing in this song; in fact, I'd say they're some of her best yet. So, it kinda sucks that they were wasted on this wannabe Miranda Lambert country tune. Admittedly, this track did grow on me a bit since I first heard it as a single, but I personally think Halsey should just... stay away from the country genre. Now I know what you're thinking: "But Cornchip!!!! This song wasn't THAT bad to the point that you never want her to touch country again, was it??!?!!??" And to that, I would say: "No! Now get out of my house." This song could've been much worse, and like I said, it did grow on me! Rather, it was a different song that surfaces much later in the tracklisting... 6/10 05. Forever … (is a long time) This song is just... *muah!* Beautiful! Magnifique! The lyrics are poetically godlike, and the somber piano accompaniment is PERFECT for this song in particular. And, oh boy, when the piano pitch shifts slightly, and that outro hits with those abrupt glitch effects? Wow.. Just... No words. What a gorgeously tortured track. 10/10 06. Dominic's Interlude Thinking back to when the tracklist for Manic was revealed, I was pretty stoked to see Dominic Fike having his own track, and holy shit did he crush it!! This is absolutely phenomenal for an interlude; it reminds me of the much sought-after "LET'S GET MARRIED" demo by BROCKHAMPTON (which makes sense, as Dominic works with the group frequently). My only complaint is that I wish it was a full-fledged song instead of just an interlude. 8/10 07. I HATE EVERYBODY Bringing back the "LET'S GET MARRIED" comparison, as this song transitions flawlessly from "Dominic's Interlude", this is like if Halsey took that song for her own use and adapted it to her own liking. Needless to say, this orchestral, grandiose, massively-scaled revelation of learned isolation is the fucking CENTERFOLD of this album. Holy shit. I'd give it an 11/10 if I could! 10/10 08. 3am "I need it digital, cuz baby, when it's physical, I end up alone" is one of the most definitive lyrics to describe a generation that I have heard in a very long time. What a fucking banger of a song, an absolute goddamn jam! It's so groovy and bombastic, and you bet your ass it's relatable as hell! Also, I dig the little outro alluding to the next track, which we all know as... 8.5/10 09. Without Me With how catchy this track sounds and how petty but powerful the lyrics are, it's no wonder this song is her biggest hit yet! I don't really need to say much more, as everyone's heard this single by now, more or less. 7.5/10 10. Finally // beautiful stranger Okay, sooo.. Remember in the "You should be sad" section, when I said there was a song later on in this album that made me believe Halsey has no right to attempt making country songs ever again? Yeah. Well. This is that song. It's so fucking soppy, boring, and uninspired that it manages to sound like a B-side from Taylor Swift's early work, in the worst way possible. Not only that, but it ruins the tone of the album as a whole. 4/10 11. Alanis' Interlude Well, hello there, esteemed singer/songwriter/producer/actress Alanis Morissette! What are you doing on Halsey's album? Just a nightly stroll around the musical block? Okay. Alright. What an unlikely combination that I would've never been able to call in a million years. I can't say that I don't enjoy it, though! Much like "Strangers" from her last album, where she paired up with Lauren Jauregui, these two ladies mesh exceptionally with their different vocal styles and inflections! Not to mention the melodies are SICK. Halsey should really collaborate with more female artists in the future! 7.5/10 12. killing boys On first listen of this album, I didn't understand the critiques being made that the second half of Manic was much worse than the first. But after several listens all the way through, I slowly began to realize... they were right. This song honestly just sounds like a darker version of Ellie Goulding & Kygo's "Close To Me", which I cannot stand after hearing it countless times on the radio. 6/10 13. SUGA's Interlude I take it all back. Album of the decade. 100/10 ...Nah, just kidding. Seriously though, I don't particularly enjoy K-pop all that much, so I didn't know how I was gonna feel about this track upon first listen. But, man, am I glad to have been wrong! The ambient, atmospheric, and almost ethereal piano chords and guitar riffs suit not only Halsey's gorgeous vocal performance, but surprisingly enough, SUGA's quick and choppy verses as well. The collaboration is executed much greater than it sounds on paper, and it makes me want to go out and seek more K-pop to listen to, despite my unsuccessful attempts to enjoy it in the past. Color me impressed! 9/10 14. More I honestly don't know what to make of this song. Every single time I listen to it, I just start crying, so that's probably(?) a good indicator of how emotionally provoking it seemingly aims to be. But on the other hand, it's SUCH an amazing song that I want to listen to it, even if it costs my emotional availability. Soooo... I'm conflicted. EMOTIONAL BREAKDOWN/10 (8/10) 15. Still Learning A dancehall song? Uhh, sure, Halsey... I guess. It's alright? It's catchy, I suppose... Eh, not much to really say about this one. Just generic radio schmaltz. /10 (5.5/10) 16. 929 This is a cute little ditty, and the instrumental is nice and airy. It feels almost like a breath of fresh air after the rollercoaster that is Manic. To be honest, with the lyricism here being as jaw-droppingly personal as it is, I think it's the perfect closer to such an exposing and naked album that wears its heart on its vinyl sleeve. 7/10 FINAL VERDICT: 7.5/10 FAVORITE TRACKS: I HATE EVERYBODY, Forever … (is a long time), Graveyard, SUGA's Interlude LEAST FAVORITE TRACKS: Finally // beautiful stranger, Still Learning, killing boys

sleeping with roses 1 and 2 were wonderful, and her joint EP with jeremy zucker was fantastic!! can't wait to listen

I LOVE this tune

yes but this trend of releasing long albums with lots of tracks, each having short runtimes, didn't really take off til around 2018. big examples I think of are "playboy carti - die lit", "travis scott - astroworld", "migos - culture ii", "blackbear - anonymous" (that was early 2019, but still)

thinking about it, this argument doesn't make sense for halsey, as all 3 of her albums have 16 tracks (if you count deluxe, which I do) in fact, this is actually her shortest album yet, as badlands comes in around 55 minutes, and HFK is roughly a minute longer than manic

didn't mean to sound rude, but just chilllll a little. someone will ping you if it gets updated with the bonus tracks

that depends, any update on your patience?

16 songs sitting at around 47 minutes is pretty normal for an album of any genre. anywhere from 30-50 minutes is the road people take more often than not. go listen to some EPs if you want short albums

denzel curry tweeted shortly after youtube release that it wouldn't be on streaming services, so probably not

I'M BIIIIITING ON THE TIP OF MYYY BEREEETTAAAAA

i don't know WHO or WHAT the fuck this is but holy shit it's so fun and hilarious glad i took a chance on this

the lyrics on this are fucking intense, but the sound is not that good imo. I have a feeling it'll grow on me though.

01. Concrete: I had known somewhat about Poppy's YouTube persona when it first went viral years ago, but I had no idea she had a musical career until Scary Mask (feat. FEVER 333) released. I thought it was one of the coolest songs I had heard in a long time, but I never really got into Poppy fully until I heard Concrete. The riffs are fantastic, the Beatles-esque bridge is absolutely wonderful with a feeling of nostalgia, and the outro.. it just gives me goosebumps. This opening track sets the mood for the rest of the album very well. 9/10 02. I Disagree: The chanting of the Japanese phrase "私はあなたに同意しません" (pronounced 'Watashi wa anata ni dōi shimasen', literally translated to 'I disagree with you'), the chorus, the lyrical message in general.. every aspect of this song makes me want to call 911 and ask, "What's your emergency?" This track is badass and serves well as the track the album is named after, as it envelops Poppy's ideals and feelings towards the music industry, which much of this album focuses on. 8/10 03. BLOODMONEY: Holy SHIT. Now THIS song fucking slaps. The constant distortion of the wall of noise along with the yelling of the phrase "back for forgiveness from Jesus to Christ" would have been enough to automatically make me add this to my angry playlist, but then the outro with that goddamn solo, and the subdued singing is just... UGH. Wow. No words. 10/10 04. Anything Like Me: This track reminds me of a mix between Billie Eilish's "bury a friend" and Marilyn Manson's "The Beautiful People" because of its verses and chorus, respectively. I could totally see this playing during an intense scene in an action movie, or maybe a trailer for a new installment in the Call of Duty series. "You shouldn't be anything like me / You'll never be anything like me" is such an incredible chorus. But, as beautiful as the second half is, the tonal shift is just too jarring and the song isn't weird enough to embrace that, like Concrete is. I wish it would've slowly transitioned into that style instead of just cutting to it suddenly, which I know is a weird complaint for this album. 7.5/10 05. Fill The Crown: It certainly is a shame that the chorus is so short and forgettable in this song, because it's my favorite part of it. The glitchy electronics and squeals in the instrumental got me feelin' some type of way... Otherwise, the verses are alright, but I prefer Poppy's over Ghostemane's (though that's not to say his verses were bad). 7/10 06. Nothing I Need: I really adore the instrumental on this one, especially about halfway through when you can hear some acoustic guitar hidden deep in the mix somewhere. The singing is pretty as usual, but the lyrics are uninteresting and it doesn't really serve as anything more than a nice, relaxing tune. I could see this more as an interlude, as previously mentioned. 6/10 07. Sit / Stay: Uhhh, helloooo? Tokyo Drift? Also, what a strange fucking time signature! I dig it anyway, though. "Godspeed to the radio star / Stop the beat when they take it too far" is one of my favorite lyrics from the entire album, and the outro sounds like a techno remix of Bring Me The Horizon's "A Devastating Liberation". 7.5/10 08. Bite Your Teeth: I think we all know what there is to say about this song. What an experience. 10/10 09. Sick of the Sun: A lot of people have been complaining about this track because it's out of place with the rest of the track listing, but I don't give a shit! I teared up listening to it!! The lyrics are god-tier and the guitar strums paired with the harmonic vocals are just gorgeous. It's very reminiscent of Imogen Heap or The Japanese House at the end there. 9/10 10. Don't Go Outside: God Almighty, my expectations have been blown the fuck out of the water. I had a feeling it was gonna be great as it's 6 minutes long (I have a soft spot for long-form songs), but I never expected a closer of this caliber. The main riff in the song sounds almost identical to Pink Floyd's "Hey You", which I have a soft spot for. Also, the original lyrics on their own are just lovely, but bringing back lyrics from I Disagree, Fill The Crown, and Concrete for the outro is fucking genius as well. Immaculate work. 10/10 OVERALL SCORE: 8.5/10 FAVORITE TRACKS: BITE YOUR TEETH, DON'T GO OUTSIDE, CONCRETE, SICK OF THE SUN LEAST FAVORITE TRACKS: NOTHING I NEED, FILL THE CROWN

ok boomer