The former bubblegum queen of early 2010s Tumblr, Marina is back with a fluffy new collection of feel-good bops to bolster our serotonin levels for the coming summer.
Shedding her cheeky teen-pop persona as Marina and the Diamonds to simply go by her first name now, Marina seems ready and armed to deliver music that’s more organic and true to who she really is. While the loss of her past work’s quirkiness will be lamented, anything from Marina is still worth a listen.
Marina’s newest eight-track drop, Love, is the first half of her new two-part album Love + Fear. Hoping for her audience to listen to these collections separately, she released Love early, with Fear looking at an April 26 release date.
Love, from start to finish, is an unabashed proclamation of self-love. Whether Marina coos about being in love with her significant other, her location or herself, this truly is a collection of love songs oozing with genuine energy. Listening through this music is absolutely cathartic, leaving room for only the positive thoughts in your head afterward.
Starting off the set, “Handmade Heaven” is a fitting track to set the mood for the album. A swelling, heart-engorging ballad, this song beckons for betterment, hoping that each day be better than the last. When Marina’s beautiful vocals yearn for “bluebirds forever,” you yearn for them too.
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The strongest track off Love is the EDM-influenced anthem “Superstar.” With an infectious rhythm and the rich, deep versatility of Marina’s voice showcased through the inflections between her deep and high notes, this song is by far the most memorable. When the seismic beat eventually drops in the chorus, the only thought on your mind is how you’ll wish you were in concert to experience it live and feel the song’s full, pulsating energy.
Another happy-go-lucky, breezy bop, “Orange Trees” is ripe and delectable, like a slice of the citrus fruit itself. Alluding to some tropical island far, far away, Marina’s expert sense of lyricism allows her to paint such a vivid picture you have no issue imagining exactly where she is.
A call back to some of the late 2000s-style pop of her past work, “Enjoy Your Life” is a slap in the face to remind you to focus on the good in life. From the syncopated beats to her commanding attitude, her advice proves persuasive to listen to.
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While no tracks on this effort are definably bad, “True” and “To Be Human” are two of the ones that are simply more forgettable in comparison to the rest.
Closing out the track list is “End Of The Earth,” a track with a slightly grimmer attitude, bringing the listener out of the earlier tracks’ euphoria to seemingly transition into Fear.
Whether Marina is attempting to rebrand or not, she executes another cohesive, smart album through her nuanced vision of the world on a holistic level. When she calls for love, she means love from all and love toward all. This is a collection that she wants many people to hear and hopes it will bring just as many people together.
