On October 24th, singer-songwriter and actress Halle Bailey released her highly anticipated debut solo album love?… or something like it. The multihyphenate has described this LP as an eclectic collection that chronicles “the highs and lows of first love and the self-discovery that follows”. In this 15-track fantasia, our narrator and her all-female roster of supporting characters swoon us through the chasm between her public persona and private complications in scene stealing-fashion.

Hailing from the sister duo Chloe X Halle, Halle was often pedestalised as the ‘innocent one,’ greatly due to her bandmate’s more eccentric performance style and provocative social media presence and the ingénue’s starring turn as Ariel in 2023’s live action The Little Mermaid. Yet, for those who have glimpsed Halle’s unguarded moments – whether through candid behind-the-scenes snapshots or by following her relationship with her ex-boyfriend, rapper and YouTuber DDG – it becomes clear that Halle’s story holds far more depth and complexity than first appears.

“The verses sketch betrayal and innocence lost”

This complexity commences in the album’s spoken word intro that immerses us in our protagonist’s hero’s journey. Amidst complex string arrangements, rich harmonies, and an ethereal mood, we are introduced to a dichotomous young girl with “the spirit of a ram and the voice of an angel,” on an age-old quest to capture the “truest form of love”.

Transitioning into the brooding and nocturnal 'overtime', Halle continues to employ a third person omniscient narrator, replacing her trademark airy vocals for a haunting lower register. The verses sketch betrayal and innocence lost (Like a snake shedding her skin / She was way too innocent/She was way too easy to fool/ No way that she wouldn’t trust you) while the chorus crystallizes the transformation into empowerment.

The outro of this track, which weaves together themes of eroticism, rebellion and dominance with the pointed line “you’re not my daddy no more,” shifts seamlessly into the first person. This leads perfectly into the rabble-rousing follow-up, 'know about me' featuring rapper Glorilla.

Co-written with British singer-songwriter RAYE, it plays on the motif of innocence lost. Halle bursts with confidence in lines like “I’m not innocent, if only you could see / What you know about me?” and “I’m no angel, but this halo give you wings”. Even though the song’s sentiment is fascinating, the lyrics often veer into trite clichés and Glorilla’s superfluous verse halts the track’s momentum rather than accelerating it.

The addictively idiosyncratic 'his type' showcases our heroine drowning in the depths of delusion, revelling in the euphoria of one-upping a romantic rival. Over a beat that breathes rather than insists, she juvenilely brags “I’m his type of girl / Mm, you’re not,” “I’m sorry you’re feeling so hurt now, I’m sorry that things didn’t work out / But he’s too busy after dinner thinking about making me his dessert”. She once again experiments with her dichotomous existence.

“While it’s a sonically brilliant leap, it ends this musical journey on a narrative regression”

After this, the album does slog but a few flashes of brilliance shine. The diaristic 'braveface' is a vulnerable meditation on postpartum depression and presents artifice not as duplicitous but as armour. The shimmering nostalgia of 'so i can feel again' reminds us why Chloe X Halle are such a formidable duo and 'no warning' featuring H.E.R. crafts a fascinating interplay between angelic vocals and disturbing lyricism. With the arena-ready soft rock of 'bite your lip' and the empowering gospel on 'angel', this album could have ended on a triumphant note. Instead, the final track 'because I love you' drags us back to the toxic push and pull of doomed romance. While it’s a sonically brilliant leap, it ends this musical journey on a narrative regression.

But if this is her truth, who am I to refute it? Starting my postgraduate degree at Cambridge, I’m facing old challenges in an excitedly remixed way so as I grant myself grace on my strides and stumbles to success, I must offer it to Halle as well.

Overall, this offering slots demurely into the recent canon of heartbreak albums. Whilst not as experimental as SZA’s SOS or as intensely story driven as Lily Allen’s West End Girl, it still deserves credit for weaving gold out of a struggle. What I hope for Halle is what I hope for everyone; to find love without questions. But until that day comes, love?… or something like it is out now.