Melanie Martinez – HADES
The character Crybaby by singer Melanie Martinez is dead. With the release of a new album, a new character traditionally enters her universe as well. With her new album “HADES”, she introduces the character Circle. A manufactured pop star, created by Hades Tech. The character is taken out of a cult and placed into an AI-driven society. Hades Tech downloads all the obscenities of this world into her system. This results in a pop star who provokes outrage and chaos.
For an average listener, this story may sound disordered. Therefore, this is a perfect way to describe the album. “THE PLAGUE” almost sounds like a house track, while “WHITE BOY WITH A GUN” is reminiscent of a Lana Del Rey song. The intention seems to be to summarise Circle’s life across the eighteen tracks on the album. This is also immediately where the problem lies. The album is not coherent. It is meant to be a story, but there is a lack of cohesion, which becomes even more noticeable if you are not familiar with Circle’s background.
While Melanie Martinez is growing as an artist, her music seems to be becoming less accessible to a broader audience over the years. This shift appears to affect the lyrical and musical quality of her work. The lyrics feel forced, with a lack of genuine depth. This is even though themes on the album, such as financial inequality and unrealistic beauty standards, would call for it. With “HADES”, Melanie Martinez seems to miss the mark.
That being said, the album is not entirely bad. “WEIGHT WATCHERS”, with its sound effects, blunt lyrics, and almost eerie melody, evokes a genuine sense of discomfort in the best possible way. This is what Melanie Martinez does best. She forces you to face reality, even when it feels unpleasant. The pre-chorus in “THE VATICAN” is catchy and nicely radical. “THE LAST TWO PEOPLE ON EARTH” is a beautiful closing track that brings the story full circle. A true circle. “CHATROOM” cautiously breaks the fourth wall through voice recordings in a conversation and recalls the style that you have come to expect from Melanie Martinez. The style that has brought her to where she is now in her career.
Since her audition on The Voice, Melanie Martinez has clearly been an experimental artist. With “HADES”, she takes a new direction and continues her experiments. The risk with experimentation, however, is that it can go wrong. “HADES” is certainly not a bad album, but it is not something you put on in your room to enjoy a pleasant listening experience. That was never the intention. Fans of Melanie Martinez who are familiar with the full background of her characters and enjoy her distinctive style will undoubtedly relish this. (6/10) (Warner)
