Marina and the Diamonds is a band who’s going to rock your world. Marina is a singer (born as Marina Diamandis) from Wales. She’s the singer of three different albums, Electra Heart, The Family Jewels, and Froot. Her albums are a mix of indie pop, new wave, synthpop, dance-pop, and electro-pop. The music she has published has been recorded and sold under five different labels; Neon Gold, 679, Atlantic, Chop Shop, and Elektra. Her latest album, Froot, was recorded from 2013-2014 and released in 2015. It has 12 songs on it, all written by Marina herself. It has been described as a combination of her last two albums, combining both lively songs and more calmer ones.

Overall, the album is influenced by 70’s pop music and artists associated with it. It’s very different than her other albums; this one is much slower paced and uses different background instruments. The lyrics are more positive, too. Instead of singing about her life being like a wildcard, or how her relationships were, Marina now sings about how these could shape her into a better person. The album seems to shift from an electric-sounding song to that of a regular pop song. Before becoming a singer, Marina released albums on her own not under a producer, such as Mermaid vs. Sailor, The Crown Jewels, and Give Me The Money.

“Happy” is the first track in the album. It signifies Marina’s change from living a high-action life to calming down some. She sings in a gentle voice with little background vocals about her past, and how she is now finding solace in her “new” life. By “happy”, Marina feels as if she has come to term with her weaknesses and faults, and now accepts him. The song is about coming to accept parts of herself she doesn’t quite like. During her previous album, she felt trapped in her persona she created, and created a life of solitude for herself. In “Happy”, she is now becoming more social and outgoing, like she used to be.

The album’s namesake, “Froot”, is the second track. It’s very lively, with an almost “bouncy” tone to it. Froot is about her trying to get someone to see her as desirable, such as the music industry or a person. She wants them to stop giving her excuses as to why they can’t be with her, as shown in the lyric “Don’t you give me a reason / That it’s not the right season”. The lyric “Leave it too long and I’ll go rot / Like an apple that you forgot” could also have the same connotation. Leaving her alone in a romantic relationship could ruin the whole thing, as communication is an important part of a relationship. On the other hand, it could refer to her actual age; at the time the song premiered, Marina is 29 years old. Finally, it could also refer to this song being her “last chance” at making a breakthrough in the music industry.

The album’s 11th track, “Savages”, is the best song, in my opinion. The song speaks about unexplored parts of humanity, such as how savage people can be towards others. Marina has said she wrote the song during the Boston Marathon bombings and a time of when rape cases were rampant, and she was disgusted by it. Rather than condemning these things, she debates whether or not human nature is a part of our DNA. The lyrics “Underneath it all, we’re just savages / Hidden behind shirts, ties, and marriages” is a powerful lyric, stating we’re just hiding behind a false sense of security and humanity, while others can be planning or thinking horrible things. The song has a tune that gets stuck in your head, with lyrics that criticize humanity while also seeming accepting of some things.

Overall, the album is a good listen. It has a nice combination of several genres, while also not being too much at any point in time. With it’s upbeat music and harsh lyrics, it does take a political standpoint almost. I highly reccommend listening to Froot, and even her other albums.