EP Review: Halsey – Room 93
2 min read
Ashley Frangipane, aka Halsey, has been building up a fan base outside the borders of her hometown New Jersey after the release of her breakthrough single Ghost, one of five tracks featured on her latest EP Room 93; interestingly, four out of five tracks have an accompanying video clip to give us some visual stimuli, which is often necessary to sell your music to your audience by giving them some imagery to go by. Halsey is taking the pop scene by storm, here’s what to expect from Room 93.
The EP is introduced by the ambient Is There Somewhere, Halsey’s vocal comes off as shy but in control, she’s like a different side of Ellie Goulding, but with a more underground kind of a pop sound; this track is simplistic, but at the same time there is some smooth production going on and you can connect with it. Just by listening to Ghost you can understand why the song has taken her places, the fast paced verses are complimented by a subtle beat, followed by an atmospheric chorus with a more dominant beat; it’s pop on a more lower level, it doesn’t carry the burden of being written and structured to appease to the masses, it sells itself with its honesty.
Hurricane is just as exciting, dramatic soundscapes are created through the instrumentation, along with the tinny drums it’s a perfect storm; Empty Storm is different, there are slight pauses that allows you to take the moment in and the pre-chorus warms you up for a wall of voices in the chorus, this is indie pop at its finest. Last, but not least, we are treated to the piano led track Trouble; this is the only track that is stripped back from the pop production, which does give you a more refreshing feel to finish the EP off.
Halsey delights with her Room 93 EP, the tracks don’t sound too similar and each present a different atmosphere and dynamic; the singer’s voice is perfect for what she’s trying to achieve sonically, she could get away with doing so much more, and that’s why the next release will be highly anticipated. Another aspect you have to admire is Halsey’s ‘don’t hold back’ attitude when it comes to writing, her aim is to be as honest as possible. Halsey has a good thing going, and she’ll only get better as her career progresses.
