Welsh singer Marina Diamandis is unlike any other female pop artist. The lead singer of Marina and the Diamonds thinks outside the box. Diamandis explores elements of human behaviour in her lyrics and regularly alters her musical direction.The latest release from Marina and the Diamonds, Froot, is a mixture of indie pop and synth pop. Unlike its overproduced predecessor Electra Heart, which involved Diamandis’ adopting a fame-hungry alter ego, Froot is honest and authentic. The record is at its ripest when the vocals are stripped back, displaying Diamandis’ unique sound. However, there are times when Marina Diamandis’ impactful lyrics are lost among the musical production.
Froot is ultimately a breakup album. It mostly celebrates independence and emphasises that you don’t have to rely on someone’s affections to happy, heard in wannabe feminist anthem Can’t Pin Me Down. On the other hand, synth pop-rock track, I’m a Ruin,conveys the guilt associated with ending a relationship.
The title track is a mash-up of disco and synthpop, which exhibits the quirkier side of Diamandis’ musical persona. The album compares Diamandis to a fruit hanging from the tree, ready to be picked (“Leave it too long and I’ll go rot,”). Froot is the strongest album from Marina and the Diamondsto date and showcases Diamandis’ unusual vocal delivery, but there are a few tracks that fall flat.
BY JACK LACY
