Marina and the Diamonds, Froot – review

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Marina Lambrini Diamandis’ third album marks a soft reboot for the Welsh singer-songwriter, better known by her stage name Marina and the Diamonds. She has found a middle ground between her previous records, The Family Jewels (2010) and Electra Heart (2013). Combining the disparate strands of her indie-pop debut, and synth and electro inspired sophomore LP, Froot is the result. This introspective album is a real move forward from Electra Heart which was overcrowded with collaborations and whose popularity revolved to a large extent around its lead single, the UK number one: Primadonna. On Froot it feels like coherence has been valued above the presence of big singles, which is as admirable as it is rare in pop music.

While the album is above all bright and fun, it is impossible to ignore the meaning of tracks like I’m a Ruin and Solitaire, where Diamandis comments on the fleeting and fickle nature of fame. But there is an underlying strength to all the tracks. In Solitaire she sings; “Cut like a jewel / yet I repair myself when you’re not there”. All the songs are written by Diamondis and the lyrics are accordingly intriguing, her soprano clear as a bell throughout. Songs like Blue and the Ashes to Ashes-esque Gold are electro-pop gems, and the first track, Happy, is refreshing in its simplicity.

For Electra Heart, Diamandis was playing a character, an amalgamation and exaggeration of all things “quirky” and the focus was very much on the general image. But what makes Froot better is that the spotlight is well and truly back on the music as Diamandis presents us with this mature and honest, yet wonderfully poppy album.

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