News

Hear Dave Grohl drumming on Halsey's new song honey

Listen to the pop-punk / rock-tinged honey featuring drums by Dave Grohl, taken from Halsey's new album If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power.

Hear Dave Grohl drumming on Halsey's new song honey
Words:
Emily Carter
Dave Grohl photo:
Tom Barnes

While there's already plenty to take in on Halsey's just-released new Nine Inch Nails-produced album If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power, the ace honey is currently a particularly great standout.

Not only is it a killer pop-punk / rock-tinged banger, but it also features the one and only Dave Grohl on the drums, serving up some excellently propulsive beats behind the song amidst Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross' always-impeccable production.

Check it out:

Read this: 11 bands and artists who wouldn’t be here without Nirvana

In a new interview with Zane Lowe on Apple Music 1, Halsey revealed of wanting to work with Trent and Atticus: "I wanted really cinematic sort of, not horror specifically, but kind of just really unsettling production," the musician explained. "It’s something I wanted, and Anthony, my manager, knew that it’s something I wanted and I had abandoned it, because I was like, 'I’m not cool enough. They’ll never do it. I’m not interesting enough. Like, I’m not even going to ask…’”

Of the songwriting process, Halsey detailed: "Trent said something to me that I’ll never forget for the rest of my life, where he was like, 'Hey, the record is great how it is.’ He was like, 'So you could not do this with us and put it out.’ He’s like, 'Or, the way a lot of modern music is right now is it informs the listener not to pay attention. It says, this song is safe. You can put it on a playlist. You can listen to it in a car. You can play it on a party, and it’s not going to fuck up the vibe. It blends in with everything else. It’s a mood. It’s chill. But it informs you not to pay attention.’

"He was like, 'Your songs, I think, deserve better than that, and I think that they should make people pay attention to what you’re saying.’ He said, 'So I’m going to make some really weird choices.’ And I was like, 'Please make weird choices. Make the weirdest choices!’

"So he sent back two songs at first, him and Atticus, and they told me later on, they were like, 'There’s no way she’s going…’ And Trent and Atticus told me later, they were like, 'As soon as you were like, 'These are amazing,’ they were like, 'Alright, it’s go time. She wants to play.' You know what I mean?

"They wanted to know if I was willing to take the risk, and I was. I was willing to take the risk, and I also felt like I had earned it, at that point, to be able to, where it’s like, I feel like every artist on their fourth, fifth, whatever album, especially pop artists, are always like, 'I really want to do something experimental. I really want to do something experimental.’”

Listen to the album in full below:

Now read these

The best of Kerrang! delivered straight to your inbox three times a week. What are you waiting for?