We think it’s rather pleasant, actually…

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[6.43]

Katherine St Asaph: A chorus as if Pink hadn’t pivoted to chunky rock potatoes, a couple lines (“I’m no sweet dream, but I’m a hell of a night”) as if Taylor Swift hadn’t pivoted to children’s theater, and the kind of frantic, unfocused, omnidirectional angst that’s like one sustained AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA, which is to say a mood. Could stand to be maybe 25% more extra, but these days what song couldn’t?
[7]

Isabel Cole: Has anyone coined “Gone Girl pop” yet? If not: dibs!
[6]

Ian Mathers: Given that to my ears the most successful thing Halsey had done before this was the much lower-key “Eastside”, it was a pleasant surprise that given the right material (for the production, the current moment, her own biography, etc) she’s a great belter. The quick shift from the surge and scream into the floaty bit is an old trick (and YMMV), but it works wonderfully here, and if some of the lyrics feel a bit on the nose… well, that doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of people who could stand to hear them, again, screamed in their faces.
[8]

Crystal Leww: If this kept up the intensity and aesthetic of t.A.T.u.’s best, it would easily be an [8]. But alas, Halsey takes the time to slow this down and do her signature whisper, and that takes it back down to earth. 
[6]

Alfred Soto: When Halsey settles into ruminative mode, her worried wrinkle of a voice suggests we’re eavesdropping on a conscience of unusual clarity. When she’s shouting over electronic clamor as she is here, she can’t match Sky Ferreira. 
[4]

Iain Mew: What came across sometimes around her first album as a lack of musical identity increasingly seems instead like superb adaptability. This is both obviously Halsey and a fine answer to the question of what approach to take in a post-Billie Eilish world, taking the dynamic shifts and applying her own kind of bitter intensity and some electro-punk, because why not.
[7]

Will Adams: There’s unfortunately too much weight given to the post-chorus breakdown of “I’m no sweet dream but I’m a hell of a night,” as if the song’s still growing out of the drop-focused EDM era. Still, “Nightmare” is a killer setting for Halsey, who sells the muddled frustration of being told from all angles how to act — smile for us, be acquiescent, be perfect. The crunchy rock sound reflects that angst and offers the most compelling evidence of Halsey being a voice for her generation. 
[7]