Album Review: PORTALS by Melanie Martinez
Via Melanie Martinez on Spotify
If you’re a Melanie Martinez fan, you know this album has been a long time coming! From their release of “Cry Baby” in 2015, the work that took the world by storm and made a name for Melanie- it brought us through the world of a troubled child and their heart aching experiences; to their next release of “K-12” in 2019 that gave us a little more insight on who Cry Baby is; then followed by an extension of “K-12” the “After School” EP that continued the story in 2020.
This new album, in my opinion, is just a continuation of the storyline. If you watched the movie that came along with “K-12” you’ll know that the character Melanie played was a being that was continuously reincarnated through time; Cry Baby stated she was tired of this life and didn’t want to suffer anymore.
All of that brings us to PORTALS.
PORTALS presents a new character. Cry Baby has died and this pink fairy- like, 4 eyed creature has sprung from their grave and is on a new journey.
With song titles like the first track “DEATH” and the last being “WOMB” perfectly captivates the end and beginning of a new cycle this character has been on since the beginning. It expresses feelings of pain and heartache, but also a great new beginning.
I’ve always been a big fan of the make believe, just a place you can escape to when things get too tough in real life and I really enjoyed the song, “FAERIE SOIREE” that makes you feel like a fairy in this whimsical forest. A great escape to this make believe land Melanie has created for us all to explore through their songs.
This artist has always been one to captivate me in their story and leave me on my toes craving more. She writes music you can’t just listen to, you have to feel it. Whether that’s happiness, pain, sorrow, or anger, you’ll be there right with them.
The only thing I didn’t enjoy about this album is the constant repetitiveness in each song. I feel like she could’ve given a little more than what was given. Although I’m a little disappointed in that area, the album was still just as amazing as the others, maybe even a little better! The character development definitely shines through.
Overall I give this album a 4/5 stars!
★★★★☆
As a longtime fan, I am anticipating more to go with this story, I’m excited to see what’s next on their journey, and where they will take this newly introduced character.
You can listen to PORTALS in the link below:
