Halsey, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross discuss 'If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power'

[mayjailer]

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Halsey recently sat down with Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, executive producers of her critically acclaimed fourth album If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power, for a candid discussion at Capitol Studios with moderator Lizzy Goodman.

Comments

[avvien]

gaaaah, I so badly wanted to like this album bc I love nin but her vocals are very underwhelming and generic? am I missing something? has anyone warmed up to it after a few listens, because I want to be on board 😩

currently, I think I’m in the camp where if nin produces a song, I need some killer vocals to compete. karen o is a goddess and I loooooooove their zeppelin cover.

[suckacowoff]

i thought it was just me! i wanted to love it sooooo bad too, but ia i def. feel like the songs need a better vocalist imo. the only one i still remember that i'll probably replay is i am not a woman, i am a god.

i also feel like the production lagged in places where it did feel like a movie soundtrack somewhat. i looove nin and trent, so i just thought i missed something????

[swoon_song]

This Trent/Atticus Ross is less harsh sometimes, more piano-y, missing the industrial edge that was still present on softer NIN.

[gumby]

the only one i've been replaying has been "honey" :(

i liked several of the other songs, too, but i'm not eager to listen to them again.

[suggestivepeach]

Same. I loved Honey on the first listen but the others aren’t as memorable.

[iznanassi]

Honey is great

[irajaxon]

i think the first 3 tracks are good then it's a lull in between, peaks with "i am not a woman, i'm a god", then ends on a whimper.

those trent piano bits are unmistakable, and i think that might actually be a bit of a disservice to halsey. as much as i like the reznor/ross partnership, i think they overstepped in the production a bit and it veers too much into nin territory. and i think that's too recognizable of a sound to ask another artist to fill.

[slaughtermatic]

i think i just sounds like so much other stuff theyve already done. i love them but i thought they were gonna do some weird new stuff like they said. i love that song whisper but it was so familiar to me until i realized its just the piano from intriguing possibilities which i adore but... s a bit whelming.

[anderbobo]

Yeah i actually really enjoyed the album (its a grower) but halsey's voice is a bit too thin to compete with the production.

[green_monsterx]

It took three or four listens for it to click for me. I felt honestly the production overpowered it at first but on more listens, her voice started coming out more and now I really love it

[mascarablues]

i think halsey should stick to songwriting. the songs are great but the vocals totally ruin it for me

[fromyourashes]

i have to admit that i love her and her music (bc i'm very immature tbh but that's ok!) and i hate the entire album at first. i gave it a second try and now i've had it on repeat (except for the awful title track). i lovvvvvvvvvvvvve it now.