On Halsey’s 13-track oeuvre, they present a masterclass in songwriting and production overflowing with a seductive industrial canvas as well as noise-rock, punk choruses, and fuzzed-out guitars.
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With Reznor and Ross supporting such a weighty artistic vision, Halsey takes a huge leap forward with this course-changing opus, a revelation that finally presents their most authentic representation of self.
All this publication's reviews
Read full review
More sonic and lyrical experimentation could allow the songs to make a deeper mark. But this record is a definite power-up from an artist who carries, as promised, “a knife with the
heart on my sleeve”.
All this publication's reviews
Read full review
If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power is ultimately rather
straightforward, reprising many of the themes—self-doubt, self-sabotage, self-empowerment—that have been central to Halsey’s past work.
All this publication's reviews
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Compared to this summer's pop offerings—think of the similarly themed efforts by Billie Eilish and Lorde, both of which deal with the trappings of fame with serenity and blissful detachment, respectively—If I Can't Get Love, I Want Power is provocative, and even ugly, in its most vulnerable moments. Self-indulgent, sure, but its emotional chaos feels earned.
All this publication's
reviews
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Easier Than Lying is shouty and electronic, while You Asked for This finds Halsey fronting a Smashing Pumpkins pastiche. Amid all the Sturm und Drang and sludgy oompah (The Lighthouse) there is some high-quality writing, chiefly in the pizzicato niggles and Jesus analogies of Bells in
Santa Fe (“it’s not a happy ending”) and Whispers.
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See all 17 Critic Reviews
It is mind blowing. Every song on the album is incredible. Halsey never disappoints
An amazing album! One of the best albums of the year! She’s amazing, i’m so proud
Even expecting the best from her, I'm totally surprised with the quality of this work. It definitely surpassed my already high expectations.Even expecting the best from her, I'm totally surprised with the quality of this work. It definitely surpassed my already high expectations. Vocals, production, concept and lyrics... Everything is on point on this album. Halsey reinforces she is a true artist and she came
to leave her mark on the industry.…Expand
This album is they type of music that halsey has been gearing up towards their whole career. ‘If I Can’t Have Love I Want Power’ encapsulatesThis album is they type of music that halsey has been gearing up towards their whole career. ‘If I Can’t Have Love I Want Power’ encapsulates everything special about
halsey as an artist. They way she is able to take any genre and put her own twist on it. The lyrics feel like a punch to the gut, the album being so personal, vulnerable, and raw, you wonder if you should even be listening to it. I have always wanted halsey to take this musical direction and now that they have, it’s exceeded my highest expectations and more.…Expand
O melhor álbum do ano, Halsey
entregou muito conceito!! Já pode entrar AOTY
best album of all time, demi could never made something like this, halsey is soooo talented i love her
Álbum extremamente fraco e sem graça, tem que ter muito saco para engolir 42 minutos de pura ladainha e musicas descartáveis e sem almaÁlbum extremamente fraco e sem graça,
tem que ter muito saco para engolir 42 minutos de pura ladainha e musicas descartáveis e sem alma nenhuma! O pior álbum lançado esse ano!…Expand
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Record Label: Capitol
Release Date:Aug 27, 2021
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With Reznor and Ross supporting such a weighty
artistic vision, Halsey takes a huge leap forward with this course-changing opus, a revelation that finally presents their most authentic representation of self.
Read full review
On Halsey’s 13-track oeuvre, they present a masterclass in songwriting and production overflowing with a seductive
industrial canvas as well as noise-rock, punk choruses, and fuzzed-out guitars.
All this publication's reviews
Read full review
Halsey’s If I Can’t
Have Love, I Want Power is an album best served whole. Sure, it’s packing some infectious, radio-ready choruses, but there is so much more to unpack, with each listen peeling back layers of heartache but also dexterity and adventure, and much-needed sense of danger that their peers are lacking.
All this publication's reviews
Read full review
It almost goes without saying that this album is intense as hell and not exactly teeming with light relief. It’s also an intricate and an endlessly compelling artistic statement that only Halsey could have made.
All this publication's reviews
Read full review
More sonic and lyrical experimentation could allow the songs to make a deeper mark. But this record is a definite power-up from an artist who carries, as
promised, “a knife with the heart on my sleeve”.
All this publication's reviews
Read full review
Compared to this summer's pop
offerings—think of the similarly themed efforts by Billie Eilish and Lorde, both of which deal with the trappings of fame with serenity and blissful detachment, respectively—If I Can't Get Love, I Want Power is provocative, and even ugly, in its most vulnerable moments. Self-indulgent, sure, but its emotional chaos feels earned.
All this publication's reviews
Read full review
An inaptly sleek production MO creates a barrier between the singer and listener on several otherwise cogent tracks. Still, despite this significant flaw, If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power contains enough magic to be infectious, an ambitious work by an immensely gifted artist who is continuing to explore
aesthetic possibilities.
All this publication's reviews
Read full review
If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power is ultimately rather straightforward, reprising many of the themes—self-doubt, self-sabotage,
self-empowerment—that have been central to Halsey’s past work.
All this publication's reviews
Read full review
The result is alluring and spectral. It’s their best work yet. ...
Reznor and Ross spend most of the album experimenting, careening through genres and hinting at a danger that’s never fully realized. They cram songs with texture, reverberating screams and screeching sirens; the busyness can feel like a distraction.
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Back to back, the songs are somewhat of a heavy-handed introduction to an album that’s at its most interesting not when it’s signaling its depth or using foreboding production as a surrogate for intensity. Instead, the music works best when Halsey follows their natural pop tendencies down new experimental paths.
All this publication's reviews
Read full review
Easier Than Lying is shouty and electronic, while You Asked for This finds Halsey fronting a Smashing Pumpkins
pastiche. Amid all the Sturm und Drang and sludgy oompah (The Lighthouse) there is some high-quality writing, chiefly in the pizzicato niggles and Jesus analogies of Bells in Santa Fe (“it’s not a happy ending”) and Whispers.
