Album Review: Marina & The Diamonds – ‘FROOT’

The third album from artist Marina Diamandis, also known as Marina & The Diamonds, has proved you don’t need a million co-writers and producers to create a successful album.

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Courtesy of Warner Music Group

‘FROOT’ is no doubt Diamandis’ greatest endeavor in her professional music career.

After a hiatus following the end of the tour for sophomore album Electra Heart, singer Marina & The Diamonds has taken the industry by storm with her new album, FROOT. Since the release of the album’s title track in October 2014, fans have been desperately waiting to hear more.

However, due to an album leak leading up to its release, Diamandis made the decision to release the album earlier than she had previously announced, which was in April. “You’ve [fans] been so patient,” she writes on Twitter, “and I know how much that means living in an age where you can get anything and everything instantly.”

For loyal fans, however, the wait has definitely been worth it. FROOT is arguably the singer’s best work, a true test of Diamandis’ vocal capability and song-writing talent.

In fact, she wrote every song on the album herself and co-produced every track with David Kosten–a rarity in the music industry in this day in age.

One of the most notable aspects of the album is the singer’s personal transformation, which is present in the overall tone of the album. Diamandis is known for pouring her emotions and personal stories into every song, and the amount of growth that’s occurred between her “bubblegum pop” experiment Electra Heart and now is extremely evident.

The first song on the album, “Happy,” is a perfect example. A raw and emotional ballad with only Diamandis’ powerful voice and piano to start the album off, “Happy” shows a new side to the singer that the world has not seen through her music before. “I sang a hymn / to bring me peace,” she sings.  “And all the sadness inside me melted away like I was free,” echoes in an eerie yet comforting tone.

Similarly, the title track “Froot” provides a feel-good vibe with a more electronic dance sound. “Livin’ La Dolce Vita, life couldn’t get much sweeter,” she sings with a Euro disco-style production. The song was the world’s first “taste” (pun intended) of FROOT, released as the album’s first single several months before its release.

“Savages” is quite possibly Diamandis’ best lyrical work of her career, and is quickly becoming a fan favorite. She says it’s her favorite song off the album as well–and rightly so.

The track covers topics such as rape culture, violence, and war, and everything about it proves to be the product of her song writing talent and intelligence.

“Solitaire” is one of the album’s slower songs. The intro is haunting in the best sense of the word, a techno sound that eventually echoes into Diamandis’ angelic, moody vocals. A huge contrast from the first few tracks of the album, the song is an ode to the inner workings of an introvert’s mind. It is reminiscent of the title track “Family Jewels” from the debut album in 2010, with its similarities in production and lyrics.

Overall, the album is diverse in tone, production, and lyrics, all while being written by only Diamandis herself and one producer. The simplicity and repetitiveness of track “Weeds” is compromised by the angsty “Forget,” while the tropical feel-good vibe from “Gold” complements the likes of the slow-paced, final track “Immortal.”

The album is as fresh and colorful as its title implies (which she explains is spelled incorrectly so it didn’t seem “as serious”), and it is no doubt Diamandis’ greatest endeavor in her professional music career. After being given complete creative freedom, it is clear that it will become her most successful endeavor as well.