Album Review: Tiffany Day – HALO

Photo Courtesy of Tiffany Day

Review by Michelle Leung

Underground pop artist Tiffany Day released the bold, hyperpop-forward album “HALO” on April 3, marking a darker, EDM-inspired sonic chapter in her career. The Toronto-born, Chinese-American, singer-songwriter-producer has steadily risen in popularity, currently holding around 900K monthly listeners on Spotify. Day’s “HALO” Release Show tour will begin in Toronto on April 13th, and she will visit New York before wrapping up on April 15th in Chicago.

A 2017 YouTube acoustic guitar cover of “Hallelujah” by Leonard Cohen spotlighted Day’s potential at just age 15. While Day’s early music and first few EPs were rooted in dreamy bedroom pop and stripped-back acoustics, her second studio album “HALO” is a definite departure from her previous projects. No doubt influenced by her foray into DJ’ing at house parties and even nail salons, the electronic EDM LP leads listeners into a beat-heavy, experimental rave-like space.

“HALO” starts with “EVERYTHING I’VE EVER WANTED,” a contemplative, vocal-forward song featuring repetitive electronic synthesizers and keys. The stream-of-consciousness songwriting only leaves the smallest space for Day to breathe in between sentences, as she laments feeling irrationally terrified of the successes and amazing opportunities that have come her way. Other artists, like Alec Benjamin with “If We Have Each Other” and mxmtoon with “growing pains,” have utilized this structure which centers a short story instead of the instrumentals. More and more harmonies layer over Day’s main vocal with the help of a vocoder as the track ramps up with the addition of more instruments. She sings: “When something good comes crashing into me it’s like I can’t breathe / ‘Cause all I think about is when that good thing finally leaves.” 

The track transitions seamlessly into the rhythmic, bass-heavy “DOIT4ME,” highlighting a clean synth that’s immediately danceable. Day plays around with vocal chops as she asks the question, “Who would you do it for? / Would you do it for me?” This refrain is repeated countless times, adding to the chaotic, busy nature of the song’s production.

“SAME LA” pulls back, starting with an upbeat, electric guitar before peppering in a strong bass and bright piano. She discusses the intense desire to connect with those around her, despite being limited by her own mind and feeling like she exists in another world. Day utilizes various beeping and electronic samples throughout the track so it can sound and feel fuller. She continues to remix vocal chops into the final chorus and hook, fleshing out an intricately detailed and cohesive musical landscape. 

“PRETTY4U” returns to the anxiety-ridden hyperpop that defines the album. Day’s clear, silvery tone contrasting with the pulsing side-chained synths in an unexpectedly perfect combination. The repetitive lyrics don’t bore the listener — in fact, the production could be described as hyperactive, adding and removing drums, bass, and samples with nearly every single measure that passes. Each rendition of “I can be pretty for you / I can be pretty too” feels new and exciting.

Day continues to explore the cavernous emptiness she experiences through transparent, striking storytelling in “COPYCAT,” “NO LUCK,” “BREAKUP,” “TELL ME WHAT I DID,” and “START OVER.” With lyrics like “I’m stuck at home / And my room’s filled with unwanted friends,” Day details the tumultuous lack of self-worth she battles when it comes to her career and her self-image. In the music video for “BREAKUP,” Day is filmed in clear anguish, holding up finger guns to herself and her supposed partner as the video glitches back and forth between the current moment and the same scene mere seconds later.

Returning to the idea of Day’s constant indignance and worries, “LOOK UP” doesn’t shy away from themes of outrage and betrayal, which are directed at a previous role-model-turned-stranger who had inspired her. The two-minute track is direct, where she expresses “You got me so so up in my head / I really used to look up to you.”

“AMERICAN GIRL” encapsulates Day’s yearning to establish her identity and break out of society’s mold, detailing the anxiety that overwhelms her while trying to make new friends and fit in. The recurring refrain “I promise you / Do anything you want me to” accentuates this scarcely-hidden desperation. In line with the rest of the album, the production ramps up into a measured cacophony of voices and various EDM-inspired synths and samples as it barrels to its conclusion.

“FAREWELL TOLEDO” begins to scale back as the album approaches its end, maintaining a stripped backbeat and relying on comforting guitar and softer alternative drums to decorate the background. While still existing in an electronic space, Day’s pop songwriting shines in a quieter track.

Another song featuring introspective, hard-hitting lyrics neatly ties the bow on the gift of “HALO.” “IT’S NOT LIKE THAT ANYMORE” delves into the crushing, heartbreaking loneliness Day suffers, as she continually wonders, “Would anyone notice if I disappeared?” Her candid narration explodes into a swelling, conclusive answer to her own inquiries, where she admits “No one can love me like myself / No one’s responsible but me.”

“HALO” is Tiffany Day’s volatile expression of rocketing into adulthood while grappling with her complicated identity, relationships, and budding fame. Despite being compared to artists like 2hollis, she’s steadfastly carving her own path into the vast world of hyperpop, electronic, and EDM fusion music. “HALO” marks only the beginning of Day’s genre experimentation, and she plans to continue developing her rebranded sound with sincerity and a newfound, unapologetic confidence.