love + fear: a self-introduction to marina
By Amy Tang
Atlantic 2019
Formerly known to the world as Marina and the Diamonds, the dreamy pop singer Marina Diamandis, now reborn simply as MARINA, revealed her longtime alter ego along with a newly awaited album on April 26. Comprised of 16 tracks, LOVE + FEAR delves into themes of coping with anxiety and depression, finding one's identity, self-love, and spreading positivity. Hence the album’s title, the two main concepts of love and fear are combined through Diamandis’ songwriting and rhythmic synth-pop melodies.
Taking a lengthy hiatus following the tour for her 2015 record Froot, Diamandis desired a means of escape from the exhausting demands of the music industry. Taking it into her own hands to disappear from the public eye, she kept a low profile on social media and left fans in the dark. Questions roamed the Internet, with many fans questioning if new music should be expected. Was this the end of Marina and the Diamonds? Well, it certainly became the end of an era for long-time listeners. Nevertheless, fans remained optimistic and expressed enthusiasm upon the new album’s release.
The first half of the album manifesting LOVE was dropped on April 4th, weeks prior to the full album’s release. One of these songs is “Baby”, an upbeat pop collaboration with electronic band Clean Bandit and Puerto Rican singer Luis Fonsi. The energetic single gained large momentum from the public, even landing a top spot on the charts. “Handmade Heaven”, the second single off the record, takes listeners back to Diamandis’ familiar operatic tone, reminiscent of her previous work on The Family Jewels and Electra Heart. Additionally, delving into her sense of home and belonging, she sings a tribute to her Greek heritage in the lively tune “Orange Trees”. “Been around the world, but I could never replicate / The feeling that I get beneath my feet”, she sings.
Meanwhile, the second half wraps up the counterpart FEAR, where the songs “Too Afraid” and “Soft To Be Strong” shine through with melancholic tones and soft lullaby-like harmonies. Both reveal a deeper, more sensitive side of Diamandis––a side that expresses the struggles of being receptive to changes in life and recognizes that it’s okay to let her guard down. Serving as a stark contrast to the familiar steady beats present is “You”, the third track, which is riddled in layers of vibrant percussion. Furthermore, not being one to shy away from voicing her thoughts, Diamandis also preaches on the ongoing abuse and tackles the misogyny running rampant in the entertainment industry in “Karma” and “Emotional Machine”, with lyrics like “Do you think they won’t remember / You’re only sorry when you’re coming down, down down”. Along with other lyrics like “I’m a machine / An emotional being / Since I was a teen / Cut my feelings off clean”, she discloses her personal experience in quite a literal sense.
Both components of LOVE and FEAR vary in style, dynamic, and instrumental progression. But as a whole, the album illustrates Diamandis’ range as an artist while displaying the complex nature of each emotion. Allowing oneself to be open and vulnerable, especially when there’s a crowd to please, is an uphill battle, for there is no one true way to approach anything. It is clear that Diamandis embodies herself through LOVE + FEAR more than any of her previous releases, as in this album, the singer finds a sense of relief and healing by shredding the theatrics and reinvents herself in a new light. Whether listeners have been around since the iconic Electra Heart era in 2012 or recently stumbled upon her work from radio plays of her hit collab on “Baby”, LOVE + FEAR is just the beginning for MARINA.