All-encompassing vulnerability is the through line of Halsey’s album rollout so far. First, Halsey revealed a yearslong struggle with various chronic illnesses in “The End.” Then, the multi-platinum-certified artist put her spin on Britney Spears’ “Lucky” (with Spears’ blessing) with a single of the same name. About a month ago, Halsey shared that she once worried that her forthcoming album “might be the last album I ever got the chance to make,” so she didn’t hold anything back.
It shows.
On Thursday, August 15, Halsey released “Lonely Is The Muse.” The alt-rock single traces back to Halsey’s sonic palette for her Grammy-nominated 2021 album, If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power.
“I always knew I was a martyr and that Jesus was one, too,” Halsey sings in the chorus. “But I was built from special pieces that I learned how to unscrew / And I can always reassemble to fit perfectly for you / Or anybody that decides that I’m of use.”
If that weren’t poignant enough, Halsey flexed her poetic acumen even more in the second verse: “So, whеre do I go in the process whеn I’m just an apparatus? / I’ve inspired platinum records, I’ve earned platinum airline status / And I’ve mined a couple diamonds from the stories in my head / But I’m reduced to just a body here in someone else’s bed.”
Halsey has yet to announce her forthcoming album’s title or release date, but it goes without saying that it should arrive sooner than later.
Listen to “Lonely Is The Muse” above.