MARINA rediscovers the alchemy that first made listeners grow to be followers in ‘Princess of Energy’ – glowing pop hooks, arch lyricism, and a beating coronary heart behind the glitter. Her sixth studio album looks like a return, to not the previous, however to a model of herself that all the time existed, ready to be reclaimed. Throughout 13 tracks, MARINA charts a vibrant journey of rebirth, heartbreak, self-invention, and emotional daring, every tune bursting with character and intention.
Stream: ‘Princess of Energy’ – MARINA
Tright here’s a second on Princess of Energy, the sixth studio album by internationally acclaimed artist MARINA, the place every part clicks into place.
The title observe opens like an anthem from one other galaxy, gentle and ethereal earlier than blasting right into a euphoric electro-pop refrain. “Welcome to my world,” she sings, “Princess of Energy!”
And identical to that, you’re strapped in for the trip, a stunning, high-voltage journey by heartbreak, therapeutic, and the novel reclamation of self. It’s each fantasy and autobiography, MARINA has launched her personal label, Queenie Information, stepped into full inventive management, and delivered what could also be her most full inventive imaginative and prescient but. And what a imaginative and prescient it’s.
I livеd the candy and I lived the bitter
Been dwelling lifе locked up in a tower
However now I’m blooming like a flower
Welcome to my world, princess of energy
Caught in a loveless era
Able to undergo a metamorphosis
I’m gonna glow like a meteor bathe
Welcome to my world, princess of energy
Large love, massive aura
Large coronary heart, massive adorer
– “PRINCESS OF POWER,” MARINA
If 2021’s Historic Goals in a Trendy Land was a mirror held as much as society, PRINCESS OF POWER is a mirror turned inward, a radiant reflection of progress, sensuality, and the wild freedom of reclaiming your narrative. Written throughout a interval of deep private introspection, MARINA emerges right here not simply as a survivor however as a full-blown heroine, unshackled from expectations and thriving on her personal phrases. This document is greater than a return; it’s a rebirth.
“BUTTERFLY” flutters between vulnerability and triumph. Anchored by a flippantly psychedelic alt-pop beat, the tune explores private transformation with poetic grace. The album pulses with disco-lit euphoria and razor-sharp pop hooks, each observe a testomony to her evolution. Her voice, gentle but sturdy, dances above the beat like mild refracted by a prism. It’s wistful, but empowered, the sound of somebody lastly entering into their pores and skin. The picture of rising from a cocoon feels deeply MARINA: Female, mystical, and crammed with hard-won freedom. There’s a serenity right here that implies not solely change, however acceptance.
“CUNTISSIMO” is all swagger and stardust, a glam-pop banger the place she reclaims confidence as couture. It’s brash, glittering, and tongue-in-cheek in all the correct methods. The tune doesn’t ask for permission to take up house, it owns the room, absolutely conscious of its affect. That is MARINA at her most assured.
A sonic joyride, “ROLLERCOASTER” captures the dizzying highs and stomach-dropping lows of escapism. The manufacturing mimics the expertise itself, swooping synths, sudden lulls, and a rush of adrenaline within the refrain. It’s a soundtrack for emotional thrill-seekers, equal components euphoria and chaos.
Already a standout single, “CUPID’S GIRL” pairs breathy vocals with pulsing synths in a approach that feels each sensual and charged. It’s romantic, certain, however MARINA’s supply brings in a way of fantasy and detachment that makes it uniquely her personal. As beforehand praised by Atwood Journal, it’s “whimsical and seductive,” a shiny piece of electro-pop that simmers with pressure. There’s a mischief in the best way she sings, a flirtation not simply with love, however with risk.
I’m gonna fall in love tonight
I’ve received my bow and arrow
My heart-shaped eyes are burning brilliant
I’ve received you in my sight
You’re taking a look at my wings
and by the look in your eyes
You’ve received an urge for food
My love is able to take flight
Gradual dance into the sunshine
Shoot you down with an arrow
like doom-doom-doom
Make your coronary heart beat quicker
like boom-boom-boom
‘Trigger you need me
and you can not resist
Yeah, I’m searching for a lover
and also you’re high of my record
– “CUPID’S GIRL,” MARINA
“METALLIC STALLION” delves into vulnerability wrapped in metaphor, whereas taking part in like a space-age fairytale. The observe tells the story of a love stalled by worry of intimacy, with a mechanical undercurrent that mirrors the emotional coldness of the topic. MARINA’s voice is wistful and aching, driving above the dream-pop steely synths that by no means fairly thaw, an ideal sonic depiction of distance and longing.
A flirty, Parisian waltz by obsession, “JE NE SAIS QUOI” is MARINA at her most theatrical. It’s cheeky, over-the-top, and completely irresistible. With accordion prospers and melodramatic strings, it channels classic pop glam with a contemporary twist. The adoration right here is sort of adolescent, however deliberately so, tapping into that giddy, all-consuming early crush power.
Right here, MARINA tackles the id disaster of contemporary love. “DIGITAL FANTASY” wraps sharp social commentary in breezy, tropicalia-inspired manufacturing, providing the right backdrop for a breakup with a narcissist who prefers the web model of you. It’s lush however incisive, a sugar-coated takedown wearing island synths.
Even the album’s quietest moments carry weight. “EVERYBODY KNOWS I’M SAD” is a stripped-back observe exploring the fantasy and lays naked her ache. This observe distills the album’s emotional core into its most direct kind. Stripped again and stark, it’s a confessional second that doesn’t beg for sympathy however calls for to be witnessed. The honesty is bracing, however there’s consolation in it too, a reminder that disappointment is one thing all of us carry, generally loudly. Like a lot of the album, vulnerability right here isn’t a weak spot, it’s a weapon. The observe fades into shimmering silence, a vital exhale earlier than the subsequent act.
“HELLO KITTY” blends nostalgic synths with cheeky lyrics, leans into camp whereas teasing out deeper layers of infatuation. With kitschy references and candy-coated melodies, it nearly looks like a love letter written in glitter pen, till you catch the loneliness below the lacquer. It’s intelligent, a bit tragic, and fully MARINA.
After which comes “I <3 YOU,” a late-album anthem that radiates with the knowledge of somebody who’s seen the storm and chosen love anyway.
The disco daydream with sharp edges interpolates “I Will Survive” right into a shimmering floor-filler about self-worth and resilience. There’s a playfulness in how she flips the unique anthem into one thing new, reclaiming heartbreak with rhinestones and eyeliner. It’s joyous and made to be danced to.
They’re all going to Y2K,
we’re going to the ’70s
Silver stars upon my face,
leather-based boots upon my knees
Sorry, I’m a bit late,
I’ve been spinning ’spherical and ’spherical
Welcome to the golden age,
every part is peachy now
Is it one thing you want? (Mhm)
La-la-la-la, you want? (Mhm)
Is it one thing you want? (Oh)
Is it one thing you want? (Uh-huh)
La-la-la-la, you want? (Uh-huh)
Gonna inform you tonight
‘Trigger I really like you,
and I do know that you just love me too
I would like you, and I do know that you really want me too
I really like you, I’ve been ready to make you mine
I wish to be holding you tonight
– “I <3 YOU,” MARINA
One of the vital emotionally complicated songs on the album, “ADULT GIRL,” is a ballad that dares to go deep. It confronts childhood trauma and the ache of rising up too quick, balancing fragility with poetic resolve. MARINA threads vulnerability into each word, her voice trembling over stark pianos and evocative lyrics. It’s haunting, and maybe the center of the album.
“FINAL BOSS” closes the album with wit, chew, and a fireworks sense of finale. It’s a kiss-off, a victory lap, and a reclamation suddenly. With lyrics like “Are you within the temper to lose me once more?,” MARINA goals at those that underestimated her. The beat is driving, the refrain is sharp, and the message is crystal clear: She’s not right here to play, it’s her sport now.
This document is a end result, but in addition a starting.
Launched independently through Queenie Information in partnership with BMG, PRINCESS OF POWER marks MARINA’s most liberated inventive chapter but. There’s a confidence threaded all through the album that’s unmistakable, the form of readability that solely comes after you’ve burned down each false model of your self and constructed anew from the ashes.
Probably the most compelling reward comes not from the critics, however from MARINA herself: “It’s actually a rebuilding-my-life-from-scratch kind of album,” she says, “Which might be why it has an thrilling power.” And thrilling it’s.
Princess of Energy captures what made MARINA magnetic in her early years: Intelligent, weak, and unapologetically female, whereas evolving that spirit for a brand new period. Every tune pulses with intention as she sheds previous identities, honors the scars of previous wounds, and steps absolutely into her developed self. It’s an album that invitations listeners to do the identical, to search out the power of their softness, the magic of their mess, and the facility of their fact.
After greater than a decade within the highlight, MARINA sounds extra herself than ever earlier than – reflective, fierce, and gloriously unfiltered. She’s discovered a voice that isn’t formed by expectation, however rooted in authenticity, and it’s nothing wanting electrifying.
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:: stream/buy PRINCESS OF POWER right here ::
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Watch: “I <3 YOU” – MARINA
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© Bethany Vargas
an album by MARINA
