Pomegranate Seeds: 10/10

Melanie Martinez is finally back with her third album PORTALS. With her music releases few and far between, there was plenty of buzz about the new album. A continuation of Martinez’s “Cry Baby” saga, here are my thoughts on the alternative singer’s newest album.

Track one, “DEATH,” is a great start for the album. It gives you a good idea of the sound of the album and of the overarching theme of PORTALS. It had an interesting opening that was very calm, but that just got me ready for the second half of the song which had a good level of energy. The instrumentation and production are both done extremely well and the moments in the song where the instruments shine are some of the best moments. The lyrics are also well-written and pull you into the song. It was a fun start to the album and made me want to hear more.

Track two is “VOID” which is easily one of the best songs on the album. It has an interesting intro that grabs your attention as well as interesting lyrics which really set the vibe of the entire song. The bridge and chorus were both fantastic and had a good level of energy and emotion while also displaying Melanie’s expert lyricism. Everything from the lyrics to the instruments, beat, and production is all masterfully done and made “VOID” one of the best songs on the album.

Track three, “TUNNEL VISION,” started with a good opening that quickly displayed the good instrumentation and production of the track. The instruments were very fun and aren’t similar to anything else I heard on the album. The lyrics were very fun and overall well-written. The entire song had a good level of energy and the chorus and non-chorus sections were both very good. Track four, “FAERIE SOIREE,” was much more cheerful when it came to its instruments, lyrics, and beat. The production was clearly very good and it has a good, fast beat. It was a nice change in pace from the last three tracks as the song felt very happy and carefree.

Track five was “LIGHT SHOWER” which slowed down the energy of the first four tracks. The instruments shined through on this track and sounded lovely with Melanie’s singing. It’s a nice, slow song that’s well-made and has a nice rhythm. The song also showed off Melanie’s songwriting abilities and had a very pretty sound. Track six, “SPIDER WEB,” brought back that energy from the first few tracks and was a very fun listen. The lyrics were very interesting and made you curious about the message of the song. The instruments sounded amazing and the entire song was very dramatic when it came to the instrumentation and singing. The chorus was fantastic and had a lot of energy. With great energy, instrumentation, and lyrics, “SPIDER WEB” was one of the best songs on the album.

Track seven, “LEECHES,” had a good transition from the previous track and included a lot of interesting sounds that gave it a forest vibe. The lyrics are well written and the instruments made it very dramatic while also keeping the song very calm. The chorus amped up the energy a bit and sounded very nice. Track eight, “BATTLE OF THE LARYNX,” had some of the most interesting lyrics of any song on the album as well as good instrumentation and production. The song’s subject matter feels very relatable and I could imagine plenty of people singing along to it. The song had a good level of energy that I felt throughout the entire track.

Track nine, “THE CONTORTIONIST,” had an attention-grabbing intro that mixed instruments with interesting bone-cracking sounds. The song had a good beat and rhythm as well as fun lyrics that truly felt like Melanie Martinez. Despite not having a cheerful subject matter, the vibe of the song was very happy and fun to listen to. Track 10, “MOON CYCLE,” has an interesting intro that immediately pulls you into the song. “MOON CYCLE” is very playful and has lyrics that aren’t meant to be serious. The instruments sounded good and Melanie also sounded great. This song is a good addition to an album that’s mostly about serious matters as it’s very lighthearted and has a different tone than the rest of the tracks.

Track 11 is “NYMPHOLOGY” which was the best song on the album. Starting off slower, the song opened with Melanie’s sweet voice and unique lyrics. The chorus is awesome and has a lot of energy, one of the most energetic choruses on the album. The lyrics, instrumentation, and production were all perfect and gave the song its fun, energetic vibe. Melanie had a lot of emotion in her singing and every part of the song sounded spectacular.

Track 12, “EVIL,” had a fun, dark opening that felt much more alternative rock than any of the other songs. The song had a lot of anger which was cool to hear for an album that was overall very sweet. The lyrics feel relatable and are one of the highlights of the track. The chorus is great and has the right level of energy to express the anger you feel in the lyrics and instruments. The album closed with “WOMB,” a nice song that contained a nice level of energy while also having good instrumentation and lyrics. It had a fun call-back to the opening track, “DEATH,” and it’s a great ending to the album.

PORTALS is an exciting and perplexing continuation of Melanie’s other works and was a lot of fun to listen to. The album was cohesive and had a good rhythm as well as contained amazing songwriting, instrumentation, and production. With all its elements combined, PORTALS received 10/10 pomegranate seeds. Any Melanie Martinez fans or alternative fans should give it a listen.