Ashley Frangipane, better known by her stage name Halsey, recently released her third studio album “Manic.” The 47-minute album was released on Jan. 17 and has a total of 16 tracks on it.

“Manic” is her most creative work so far, talking about personal topics and exploring several different genres. Some songs have a somewhat similar sound to her previous albums, such as “Without Me” and “Graveyard,” while others are much slower sounding with more acoustic instruments such as “clementine.” Halsey even has ballads, such as “Finally // beautiful stranger” and songs that can even possibly fall into the country genre with “You Should Be Sad.”

“Manic” is a beautiful mess that suits the title of the album very well. As Halsey said in an interview with Beats 1 on Jan. 17, the album may not fit the “public perception of mania,” but instead, it captures how she is like when she is manic. Halsey also continues with the interview by saying how the album bridges the gap between Halsey and Ashley. I personally think Halsey did an amazing job at doing just that.

The “Manic” album had more personal subjects that have not been seen on previous albums. Some of these subjects can be found in lyrics such as “I hate everybody, but maybe I, maybe I don’t,” and “I don’t need anyone, I just need everyone and then some.”

Overall, I have absolutely loved Halsey’s previous albums, but this newest one is my favorite so far. I love albums and artists that are able to be creative by exploring different sounds and genres. I also love it when someone is personal in their music. “Manic” easily accomplished both of those things.

20maustin@usd489.com