Melanie Martinez Is Back From The Dead, and Fans Are Indifferent
On Mar. 31, Melanie Martinez released her third studio album “PORTALS” after a two-year hiatus from music. The album has 13 tracks and follows the death of the human form of Martinez’s persona, “Crybaby.” She first promoted the album on Instagram on Feb. 18 with the words “RIP CRYBABY” carved into a mushroom. Further promotions created the narrative that “Crybaby” was reborn as her soul’s authentic self exploring her afterlife. When “PORTALS” debuted, it reached number two on the Billboard 200, but plummeted to number 26 after only five weeks. While her two previous albums, “Crybaby” and “K-12”, did not debut as high in the charts, they did not fall as quickly as “PORTALS”, and many of Martinez’s fans think this album is not her best work.
Fans noticed the drastic difference in aesthetics between “PORTALS”and her older albums during its announcement. Martinez gained popularity for her unique style of vintage pastel clothing, split-dyed hair, and an ethereal yet macabre quality. In “PORTALS”, she presents her persona as a pink fairy-like creature with four eyes, replacing the iconic split-dyed hair with sage green. The once whimsical, pastel, goth aesthetic Martinez had cultivated during her career was replaced by fairy grunge and fantasy elements that fans had never seen before.
P.C. Luna Joie and Valeria Montoya via pexels.com
The opinions of her fans are split. Many love the album and the new aesthetic and are excited that Martinez has grown as an artist. However, a large portion of Martinez's fan base were accustomed to the angelic pastels of her two previous albums. All of Martinez’s previous music, fashion, and merchandise were based around her original aesthetic, so some considered the rebrand too different from the initial music that made them fans in the first place.
“Crybaby” and “K-12” are considered alt-pop, but “PORTALS” has a heavier sound reminiscent of pop-rock, especially songs like “BATTLE OF THE LARYNX” and “EVIL”, with prominent percussion. Martinez had experimented with pop-rock in 2020 with the song “Numbers” in her extended play, “After School”, but it did not receive a significant amount of attention. Casual Martinez fans were not expecting the album to have a rock element because pop-rock music was completely new for Martinez to compose. Some fans believe that her inexperience in this genre could be a factor as to why “PORTALS” is not as beloved as her first two albums.
Other fans complain that the lyrics are too straightforward and less memorable than those in “Crybaby” or “K-12”, as the tracks are repetitive and bland. In addition, people are saying that the new album’s concept is not as cohesive as her other albums. “PORTALS” is marketed to be about spirituality and earthly existence, but many of the songs have themes that are about Martinez’s experiences with toxic relationships.
Although critics find faults in the album, this does not mean that “PORTALS” is unsuccessful at all. The switch to a completely new and unique aesthetic brought on new fans. While the album may not be what all fans were expecting, there are some songs that fans cannot deny are great. Martinez’s supporters commend her for making an album completely different from any work she has done before.