When Marina and the Diamonds exploded on to the musical scene in 2010, with her quirky style and fabulously eccentric songs such as ‘Mowgli’s Road’ and ‘Hollywood’, she seemed determined to reject every bubblegum pop convention. Showing her desire to stand out from the crowd and be recognized as a unique individual, Marina uses feisty lyrics like “oh my gosh you look just like Shakira, no no you’re Catherine Zeta, actually my names Marina.”
Yet her latest album shows far more of a pop approach and she worked with writers and producers best known for creating hits for the likes of Katy Perry and Britney Spears. Sadly it seems that somewhere along the way she seems to have lost that fiery spark. Marina acknowledges the radical shift and described it as the “antithesis of everything I’ve done so far.” In fact the change is so profound that Marina explains, bizarrely, that this album features her alter-ego named Electra Heart.
The album begins with ‘Bubblegum Bitch’ which is everything you would expect from a cheesy, unoriginal pop song with annoyingly repetitive lyrics. Many of the songs simply fade into the background and blend together as tracks like ‘Fear and Loathing’ and ‘Starring Role’ fail to ever fully grip you or reach a climax.
‘Primadonna’, the featured single, stands out as the most Marina-esque track, showing glimpses of her old charm and talent and gives fans hope that the old Marina will come back with full force in her next album.