HALSEY - BADLANDS

HALSEY - BADLANDS

(ALBUM COVER)

HALSEY'S ALBUM COVER FOR BADLANDS DEPICTS ABACKGROUND OF A POST-APOCALYPTIC WORLD. THIS ISMADE EVIDENT THROUGH THE ROCKY DESOLATEENVIRONMENT SEEN ON THE ALBUM COVER. THE ARTIST, HALSEY IS FEATURED ON THE ALBUM COVER IN THEFOREGROUND, CENTRAL TO THE PICTURE. BY MAKING HERCENTRAL WE KNOW SHE IS THE ARTIST OR AT LEASTSIGNIFICANT TO THE ALBUM ITSELF. HER EYES ARE COVERED BYTHE TITLE OF THE ALBUM 'BADLANDS', THIS MAY IMPLY WE ARESEEING 'BADLANDS' FROM HER PERSPECTIVE THROUGH HEREYES. IT MAY ALSO IMPLY BADLANDS ARE MADE OF HERPERSONAL EXPERIENCES AS THE EYES ARE CONSIDERED THEWINDOWS TO THE SOUL. THE TEXT AND BORDER CREATES ADISTRESSED APPEARANCE TO THE ALBUM COVER SIMILAR TOAN OLD POSTCARD. THIS MAY HAVE BEEN AN INDICATION OFHALSEY'S FURTHER AD CAMPAIGN OF THE 'BADLANDS' TOURWHICH FANS ATTENDED OR 'VISITED' MUCH LIKE VISITING AHOLIDAY DESTINATION. THE NUMBERS '017' ARE FEATURED INTHE BOTTOM RIGHT HAND CORNER, THIS MAY BE SYMBOLIC OFHER AGE WHEN SHE EXPERIENCED 'BADLANDS' OR EVEN ANIDENTIFICATION NUMBER IN HER POST-APOCALYPTIC WORLD. HALSEY'S COSTUME WITHIN THE COVER IS A FUR PASTEL PINKPULL-OVER. THIS MAY BE SYMBOLIC OF THE GLAMOROUSASPECT TO THE BADLANDS WHICH INDICATES IT MAY BE BASEDUPON DESOLATE NEVADA AND IT'S HIGH STYLE CITY, LASVEGAS.

HALSEY - NEW

AMERICANA (SINGLE

COVER)

UNLIKE THE LOWER THAN ATLANTIS ALBUM AND SINGLE COVER, THIS SINGLE COVER IS COMPLETELY UNRELATED TO THE ALBUM

COVER. THE NEON LIGHTS HOWEVER REAFFIRM MY EARLIER

CONCLUSION THAT 'BADLANDS' MAY INCLUDE A LAS VEGAS

THEMED ASPECT TO THE POST-APOCALYPTIC LAND AS THEY

SYMBOLISE YOUTH AND THE ALLURING ASPECT OF LAS VEGAS

NIGHT-LIFE. IN THE SINGLE HALSEY'S MENTIONS 'THE CITY' AND A

GENERATION RAISED ON VARIOUS ARTIST LIKE 'NIRVANA' AND

'BIGGIE' WHO INFLUENCED THEM. THESE ARTISTS ALL LINK TO

POPULAR CULTURE AT THE TIME WHICH THE BRIGHT COLOURS IN

THE SINGLE COVER INDICATE. THE BRICK WALL BEHIND THE

NEON SIGNS IS VISIBLY UNAPPEALING, SLIGHTLY FADING AND

TARNISHED HOWEVER IT IS STILL STANDING AND BARING THE

SIGNS. THIS CONNOTES THE STRUGGLE OF HALSEY AND HER

GENERATION WHO ALTHOUGH WERE RAISED WITH ISSUES MUCH

LIKE HERSELF, ARE STILL STRONG ENOUGH TO BEAR THE BRIGHT

AND SEDUCTIVE LIFESTYLE POPULAR CULTURE HAS PROVIDED. AS

THERE IS ALSO NO OTHER LIGHT ILLUMINATING THE WALL BUT THE

SIGNS, THIS MAY ALSO BE SYMBOLIC OF THE LIGHT OR

HAPPINESS THAT THE BRIGHT, CITY AND POPULAR CULTURE DOES

TO KEEP THE WALL FROM THE DARK. THE TYPOGRAPHY OF THE

TEXT IS ALTERNATE FROM THE CONVENTIONAL VOWELS LIKE 'A' WHICH USUALLY HAVE A LINE THROUGH THEM. THIS CHANGE IN

STYLE SUGGESTS A CHANGE IN THOUGHT OR CHARACTER OF

THE NEW GENERATION THAT HALSEY IS PROMOTING.

HALSEY - BADLANDS

(TEASER POSTER)BEFORE HALSEY'S ALBUM RELEASE HER PROMOTION CAME IN THE FORM OFTEASER POSTERS FOUND BOTH ONLINE AND IN PRINT MEDIA. THIS POSTERWAS AN EXAMPLE OF A PRE-RELEASE POSTER AS A FORM OFADVERTISEMENT. AS YOU CAN SEEN FROM THE POSTER, NO INDICATION ISLEFT THAT THIS IS EVEN MUSIC RELATED SUCH AS THE CONVENTIONS OF ANARTIST NAME OR OBVIOUS RELEASE DATE. INSTEAD THE TEXT WHICH IS VERY

CLOSE IN COLOUR - A PINK/BLUE HUE - TO THE BACKGROUND OF THEPICTURE. THIS MAKES THE TEXT NOT VERY DISTINGUISHABLE AND THEREFORECREATES AN ELEMENT OF MYSTERY TO THE POWER. THERE IS ACORRELATION IN STYLE OF THE PICTURE USED OF A MOUNTAIN FOR THELANDSCAPE OF THE POSTER. THIS CORRELATES WITH THE CRAGGYWASTELAND TYPE BACKGROUND FEATURED CENTRAL ON THE ALBUMCOVER, THIS IMPLIES THAT THE MOUNTAIN IS SIGNIFICANT AND ALSO HINTSTHAT IT IS 'BADLANDS'. THIS POSTER THEREFORE HINTS AT THE ALBUM COVERBEFORE IT'S RELEASE. THE TEASER POSTER ALSO USES PINK AND BLUE SHADESMUCH LIKE THE ALBUM COVER EXCEPT THIS IS FAR MORE SATURATEDMAKING IT APPEAR FOR DREAMLIKE AND ONCE AGAIN REINFORCING THEELEMENT OF MYSTERY. THE ONLY 'DATE' THAT IS OFFERED OF THE ALBUMRELEASE WITHOUT HINTING OF THE ALBUM IS THE TEXT 'MAKE 2015 THEYEAR YOU VISIT BADLANDS'. THIS ALSO RELATES TO MY PREVIOUS POINTTHAT HALSEY ATTEMPTS TO CREATES 'BADLANDS', HER MENTAL STATE, INTOA PHYSICAL PLACE WHICH SHE BRINGS TO LIFE WITHIN THE ALBUM, BYTELLING FANS TO 'VISIT' IT. THE GRAINY EFFECT TO THE POSTER ALSOREFLECTS THE STYLE OF THE ALBUM COVER WHICH ITOO IS FADED ANDUNCLEAR, ADDING TO THE CONCEPT THAT BADLANDS ISIMAGINARY/CREATED