Pop star Halsey took a big swing at music review site Pitchfork in what can only be described as the classiest roast of the decade. After dropping their new album The Great Impersonator on October 25, Halsey received a glowing 4.8 out of 10 from the outlet, and letβs just say this isnβt their first tango in the battle of the basement reviews.
For a little backstory: back in 2020, Halseyβs album Manic got a similar chilly reception from Pitchfork. Never one to mince words, Halsey clapped back with the ultimate mic drop: βCan the basement they run Pitchfork out of just collapse already?β Now, if that sounds savage, itβs because it isβand it wouldβve been a little lighter on the roast if Pitchfork hadnβt, you know, operated out of One World Trade Center. Cue awkward silence. Halsey quickly deleted the tweet and apologized, probably after a quick Google Maps check.
Fast-forward four years, and Halseyβs got a new album and an even sassier strategy for handling the critics. Instead of launching another basement demolition campaign, they took to X (thatβs Twitter, for those of us still getting used to the rebrand) and hit back with an unexpected twist: positivity. Yes, actual, genuine, hard-to-come-by-on-the-internet positivity.
Now, while Pitchforkβs review wasnβt exactly Shakespearean-level praiseβcalling the album βdull pop-rock corridorsβ and questioning the βmuddled conceptββthey did admit one thing: Halseyβs success is undeniable. Halsey seized on that rare tidbit of goodwill, posting snippets of the review that practically glowed in their praise, even if buried under several paragraphs of mild shade.
βThank you @pitchfork for your kind words,β Halsey wrote, adding, βI think itβs so beautiful that everyone interprets things differently.β
And just like that, Halsey outclassed Pitchfork with a single line. Some might call it The Great Impersonatorβs first success.
thank you @pitchfork for your kind words.
I think itβs so beautiful that everyone interprets things differently π€βοΈ pic.twitter.com/AwAZCBNEyC— h (@halsey) October 30, 2024