via TheSoundBot
One of the sweetest artist re-inventions to have the pleasure of experiencing is welsh superstar Marina Lambrini Diamandis. Frantic fans know her as Marina and The Diamonds, the breath-of-fresh-air pop star defying predictability and stereotype with her debut and sophomore records, The Family Jewels (2008) and Electra Heart (2012).
The year is 2015: out with the preppy, pink and bubbly Diamandis, and in with the re-born goddess, bearing saccharine-scented Froot. The title track began the transition into Diamandis’ immortality bathing (the sole wish of Froot’s closing track, “Immortal”) and although she claims “nothing lasts forever”, Froot has cemented her legacy for an eternity.
Monochrome simplicity entwined with a manifestation of reflection make up the backbone of Froot, specifically highlighted on tracks “Forget’ and the brooding, “I’m A Ruin”. The latter focuses upon Diamandis’ come-of-age: where before she delivered tips on “how to be a heartbreaker”, the pensive narrative leads to the queen admitting, “I know I played with your heart/I know I could treat you better”.
Coursing alongside this meditative state, which also touches “Better Than That” and the piano-driven “Happy”, is Diamandis’ thick satirical humour, featuring on Froot’s only explicit track, “Can’t Pin Me Down”. “Do you want me to write another feminist anthem?” the twenty-nine year-old teases, before mockingly stating: “I’m happy cooking dinner in the kitchen for my husband”.
Although the Electra Heart-era Marina may have been transformed into a soaring Froot divinity, “Blue” wouldn’t go amiss on her second record. Harbouring slight vulnerability, “Blue” is the marker between what was and what is and, with its dramatic fade-out, Diamandis let us know she’s human too.
Brilliantly different and offering excitement at every turn; Marina and The Diamonds’ Froot is a record worth the wait, worth the hype and ultimately, worth immersing yourself in.
ELLA LOUISE SCOTT 