Album Review: If I Can’t Have Love I Want Power by Halsey
Olivia Aragon
If I Can’t Have Love I Want Power is a bold title for an album, but thankfully Halsey’s incredible lyrics and haunting melodies help it live up to the name.
Halsey dropped her 4th studio album If I Can’t Have Love I Want Power on August 27th, 2021. Unlike Manic, her previous album, If I Can’t Have Love I Want Power is more cohesive and has strong themes intertwined throughout the album. If I Can’t Have Love I Want Power displays how much stronger of a musician Halsey has become since her first album, The Badlands, and may be her best work.
From the moment I hit play on the opening track, “The Tradition,” a piano’s haunting melody flowed into my ears. I was captivated. The picture that Halsey paints in the song is nothing short of daunting. It follows a girl who is dressed up and then torn down by the very people who built her up. This song captured my attention right off the bat and was an excellent opening track.
It is challenging to pick standout tracks on this album because every song is not only needed, but absolutely breathtaking in production, lyrics, and delivery. But if I had to pick, my top three songs are “Darling,” “Whisper,” and “Bells in Sante Fe.”
“Darling” introduces a new feel to the album as it is more of a soothing lullaby than a haunting melody. Halsey makes her listeners feel as if she is telling us a bedtime story as her soothing voice describes how she has never felt like she belongs in the world.
Track 8, “Whisper,” perfectly captures the feeling of inner conflict between Halsey's singing and their whispers that bring goosebumps as they speak the lyric “you do not want this.” The idea of self-sabotage is also examined as Halsey sings, “Sabotage the things I love the most / Camouflage so I can feed the lie that I'm composed.”
“Bells in Sante Fe” is the second track on the album and tackles Halsey's feelings about suicide. The lyrics are gut-wrenching as Halsey sings about feeling as if no one would notice if they were gone.
If I Can’t Have Love I Want Power closes with the track “Ya’aburnee.” Taking a very different direction than the opening track “The Tradition,” Halsey explores her feelings of love towards her significant other and her child, and how she can’t imagine living without them. This track is the perfect closing track, especially when you take into account a lot of the topics Halsey tackles in this album: abuse, self-sabotage, and feeling unloved and unwanted.
“Ya'aburnee'' sounds similar to “Darling,'' but the two act as opposing viewpoints. “Darling” speaks of not belonging, and “Ya’aburnee” discusses the place she believes she finally belongs.
This album is a welcome switch-up in Halsey's music. I was not a big fan of Manic, although I would consider it a decent album. Only four songs ended up on my playlist, whereas with If I Can’t Have Love I Want Power every single song ended up on my playlist. This will be one of the few albums I consistently listen to all the way through.
If I Can’t Have Love I Want Power is a powerful and unforgettable album, with its exploration of darker themes and its strong production. I suggest plugging your earbuds in and giving it a listen.