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With 2023's PORTALS, Melanie Martinez further fleshes out her high-concept pop, crafting an album that plays enticingly like Alice in a goth Wonderland. Arriving on the heels of a two-year hiatus, the record is the singer's first not to feature her empath "Cry Baby" persona, the focus of both 2015's Cry Baby and 2019's K-12. Thematically, PORTALS is an album about death and rebirth with songs that speak to Martinez's ongoing knack for reinventing her sci-fantasy baby girl aesthetic in ever more musically nuanced and diaristic ways. Produced with collaborator C.J. Baran, PORTALS sounds similar to her past work, a textural blend of electronic grooves and instrumentation that she smartly blends with more organic strings, woody bass, and sundry other analog instruments. Vocally, Martinez also still has her distinctively cherubic style, like an anime alien who listened to a lot of Feist and Rihanna. That said, there's a growing maturity to her work and never a sense that she's not in complete control of what she's creating. This is perhaps best expressed on the opening "DEATH," a moody, orchestral-tinged anthem that feels like it's about reclaiming one's emotions after a difficult breakup. While some of PORTALS can sometimes lean heavily into midtempo, minor-key electronica, there are moments of thrilling alt-rock anthemics, including the Garbage-esque "BATTLE OF THE LARYNX" with its chugging guitar riff and tidal wave synths. There's also "VOID," which sounds something like Billie Eilish crossed with the Cure. Equally compelling is "MOON CYCLE," in which Martinez takes a strong, witchy feminist stance, singing, "I could win a fight on my period/Matter of fact, right now, I could build a pyramid/You messing with my cycle, that is dangerous."
© Matt Collar /TiVo
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CJ Baran, Producer, Guitar, Synthesizer, Programming - Melanie Martinez, Producer, Vocals, Writer, MainArtist - Craig Rosen, AAndRAdministrator - Mitch McCarthy, Mixer - Jeff Levin, A&R Direction - Rhys Hastings, Drums - Matej Mihaljević, Violin - Martin Kutnar, Cello - Emerson Mancini, Masterer
© 2023 Atlantic Recording Corporation ℗ 2022 Atlantic Recording Corporation
CJ Baran, Engineer - Melanie Martinez, Producer, Vocals, Writer, MainArtist - Craig Rosen, AAndRAdministrator - Mitch McCarthy, Mixer - Jeff Levin, A&R Direction - Rhys Hastings, Drums - Emerson Mancini, Masterer
© 2023 Atlantic Recording Corporation ℗ 2022 Atlantic Recording Corporation
Jeremy Dussolliet, Writer - Tim Sommers, Writer - CJ Baran, Producer, Synthesizer, Programming - One Love, Producer, Synthesizer, Programming - Melanie Martinez, Vocals, Writer, MainArtist - Craig Rosen, AAndRAdministrator - Mitch McCarthy, Mixer - Jeff Levin, A&R Direction - Emerson Mancini, Masterer
© 2023 Atlantic Recording Corporation ℗ 2022 Atlantic Recording Corporation
CJ Baran, Producer - Hoskins, Producer - Melanie Martinez, Producer, Vocals, Writer, MainArtist - Jonathan Joseph Hoskins, Writer - Craig Rosen, AAndRAdministrator - Mitch McCarthy, Mixer - The 23rd, Producer - Jeff Levin, A&R Direction - Glen Garth, Writer - Emerson Mancini, Masterer - Phil Garth, Writer
© 2023 Atlantic Recording Corporation ℗ 2022 Atlantic Recording Corporation
CJ Baran, Engineer - Michael Keenan, Engineer - Melanie Martinez, Producer, Vocals, Writer, MainArtist - Craig Rosen, AAndRAdministrator - Mitch McCarthy, Mixer - Jeff Levin, A&R Direction - Emerson Mancini, Masterer
© 2023 Atlantic Recording Corporation ℗ 2022 Atlantic Recording Corporation
CJ Baran, Producer - Melanie Martinez, Vocals, Writer, MainArtist - Craig Rosen, AAndRAdministrator - Mitch McCarthy, Mixer - Jeff Levin, A&R Direction - Emerson Mancini, Masterer
© 2023 Atlantic Recording Corporation ℗ 2022 Atlantic Recording Corporation
Simon Says, Producer - CJ Baran, Producer, Synthesizer, Programming - Melanie Martinez, Vocals, Writer, MainArtist - Craig Rosen, AAndRAdministrator - Mitch McCarthy, Mixer - Simon Rosen, Writer - Jeff Levin, A&R Direction - Matej Mihaljević, Violin - Martin Kutnar, Cello - Emerson Mancini, Masterer
© 2023 Atlantic Recording Corporation ℗ 2022 Atlantic Recording Corporation
CJ Baran, Producer, Guitar, Synthesizer, Programming - Melanie Martinez, Vocals, Writer, MainArtist - Craig Rosen, AAndRAdministrator - Mitch McCarthy, Mixer - Jeff Levin, A&R Direction - Rhys Hastings, Drums - Emerson Mancini, Masterer
© 2023 Atlantic Recording Corporation ℗ 2022 Atlantic Recording Corporation
Christopher J Baran, Writer - CJ Baran, Producer, Synthesizer, Programming - Melanie Martinez, Vocals, Writer, MainArtist - Craig Rosen, AAndRAdministrator - Mitch McCarthy, Mixer - Jeff Levin, A&R Direction - Matej Mihaljević, Violin - Martin Kutnar, Cello - Emerson Mancini, Masterer
© 2023 Atlantic Recording Corporation ℗ 2022 Atlantic Recording Corporation
Jared Scharff, Writer - Christopher J Baran, Writer - CJ Baran, Producer, Synthesizer, Programming - Melanie Martinez, Vocals, Writer, MainArtist - Craig Rosen, AAndRAdministrator - Mitch McCarthy, Mixer - Jeff Levin, A&R Direction - Pearl Lion, Producer, Guitar - Rhys Hastings, Drums - Emerson Mancini, Masterer
© 2023 Atlantic Recording Corporation ℗ 2022 Atlantic Recording Corporation
Nick Long, Guitar, Writer - Christopher J Baran, Writer - CJ Baran, Producer, Guitar, Synthesizer, Programming - Melanie Martinez, Vocals, Writer, MainArtist - Craig Rosen, AAndRAdministrator - Mitch McCarthy, Mixer - Jeff Levin, A&R Direction - Justin Greenwood, Additional Producer - Matej Mihaljević, Violin - Martin Kutnar, Cello - Emerson Mancini, Masterer
© 2023 Atlantic Recording Corporation ℗ 2022 Atlantic Recording Corporation
Ilan Rubin, Drums - Christopher J Baran, Writer - CJ Baran, Producer, Guitar, Synthesizer, Programming - Melanie Martinez, Vocals, Writer, MainArtist - Craig Rosen, AAndRAdministrator - Mitch McCarthy, Mixer - Jeff Levin, A&R Direction - Emerson Mancini, Masterer
© 2023 Atlantic Recording Corporation ℗ 2022 Atlantic Recording Corporation
CJ Baran, Producer, Synthesizer, Programming - Melanie Martinez, Vocals, Writer, MainArtist - Craig Rosen, AAndRAdministrator - Mitch McCarthy, Mixer - Omer Fedi, Writer - Jeff Levin, A&R Direction - Rhys Hastings, Drums - Emerson Mancini, Masterer
© 2023 Atlantic Recording Corporation ℗ 2022 Atlantic Recording Corporation
Christopher J Baran, Writer - CJ Baran, Producer - Melanie Martinez, Vocals, Writer, MainArtist - Craig Rosen, AAndRAdministrator - Mitch McCarthy, Mixer - Jeff Levin, A&R Direction - Emerson Mancini, Masterer
© 2023 Atlantic Recording Corporation ℗ 2022 Atlantic Recording Corporation
Christopher J Baran, Writer - CJ Baran, Producer - Melanie Martinez, Vocals, Writer, MainArtist - Craig Rosen, AAndRAdministrator - Mitch McCarthy, Mixer - Cautious Clay, Producer, Writer - Jeff Levin, A&R Direction - Emerson Mancini, Masterer
© 2023 Atlantic Recording Corporation ℗ 2022 Atlantic Recording Corporation
Jeremy Dussolliet, Writer - Tim Sommers, Writer - One Love, Producer - Melanie Martinez, Vocals, Writer, MainArtist - Craig Rosen, AAndRAdministrator - Mitch McCarthy, Mixer, Masterer - Jeff Levin, A&R Direction
© 2023 Atlantic Recording Corporation ℗ 2022 Atlantic Recording Corporation
Album review
With 2023's PORTALS, Melanie Martinez further fleshes out her high-concept pop, crafting an album that plays enticingly like Alice in a goth Wonderland. Arriving on the heels of a two-year hiatus, the record is the singer's first not to feature her empath "Cry Baby" persona, the focus of both 2015's Cry Baby and 2019's K-12. Thematically, PORTALS is an album about death and rebirth with songs that speak to Martinez's ongoing knack for reinventing her sci-fantasy baby girl aesthetic in ever more musically nuanced and diaristic ways. Produced with collaborator C.J. Baran, PORTALS sounds similar to her past work, a textural blend of electronic grooves and instrumentation that she smartly blends with more organic strings, woody bass, and sundry other analog instruments. Vocally, Martinez also still has her distinctively cherubic style, like an anime alien who listened to a lot of Feist and Rihanna. That said, there's a growing maturity to her work and never a sense that she's not in complete control of what she's creating. This is perhaps best expressed on the opening "DEATH," a moody, orchestral-tinged anthem that feels like it's about reclaiming one's emotions after a difficult breakup. While some of PORTALS can sometimes lean heavily into midtempo, minor-key electronica, there are moments of thrilling alt-rock anthemics, including the Garbage-esque "BATTLE OF THE LARYNX" with its chugging guitar riff and tidal wave synths. There's also "VOID," which sounds something like Billie Eilish crossed with the Cure. Equally compelling is "MOON CYCLE," in which Martinez takes a strong, witchy feminist stance, singing, "I could win a fight on my period/Matter of fact, right now, I could build a pyramid/You messing with my cycle, that is dangerous."
© Matt Collar /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 16 track(s)
- Total length: 01:02:57
- Main artists: Melanie Martinez
- Label: Atlantic Records
- Genre: Pop/Rock Pop
© 2023 Atlantic Recording Corporation ℗ 2023 Atlantic Recording Corporation
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