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 let’s just say this isn’t their first tango in the battle of the basement reviews.
For a little backstory: back in 2020, Halsey’s album Manic got a similar chilly reception from Pitchfork. Never one to mince words, Halsey clapped back with the ultimate mic drop: “Can the basement they run Pitchfork out of just collapse already?” Now, if that sounds savage, it’s because it is—and it would’ve been a little lighter on the roast if Pitchfork hadn’t, 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 Halsey’s got a new album and an even sassier strategy for handling the critics. Instead of launching another basement demolition campaign, they took to X (that’s 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 Pitchfork’s review wasn’t exactly Shakespearean-level praise—calling the album “dull pop-rock corridors” and questioning the “muddled concept”—they did admit one thing: Halsey’s 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.
“Thank you @pitchfork for your kind words,” Halsey wrote, adding, “I think it’s so beautiful that everyone interprets things differently.”
And just like that, Halsey outclassed Pitchfork with a single line. Some might call it The Great Impersonator’s first success.
thank you @pitchfork for your kind words.
I think it’s so beautiful that everyone interprets things differently 🤍⭐️ pic.twitter.com/AwAZCBNEyC— h (@halsey) October 30, 2024