Written by Alyssa Foley
HADES by Melanie Martinez: An album, for sure.
Melanie Martinez, an alternative pop artist famous for her two-toned hair dye and childlike aesthetic, first rose to fame in 2012 after appearing as a contestant on The Voice. In 2014, two years after her time on the show, she released her debut EP, Dollhouse, followed by her first album, Crybaby, a year later. Thanks to the innovative theme and lyricism, Crybaby quickly became a cult-classic album with a track list featuring, in my humble opinion, no skips. When I first listened to Crybaby, it captured my 10-year-old ears in its vice-like grip, and it has yet to let go 11 years later. The songs are time capsules of mid-2010’s internet pop culture, and I can still visualize the Tumblr edits that each of them inspired.
However, I can’t sing any of the same praises about Martinez’s newest album, HADES. The 18-track album is a thematic mess with no cohesion or message. It uses too many words and still has nothing to say. While I admire her efforts to bring attention to issues of political corruption, beauty standards, and sexism in numerous songs, none of them tie back to a central theme, making her words feel inauthentic. In the wise words of Peter Griffin, “It insists upon itself.”
Admittedly, some of the production is fantastic. My favorite track, ‘AVOIDANT,’ had a nice composition with a strong message, and the beats on ‘THE VATICAN’ and ‘MONOPOLY MAN’ were both well-made. However, the value of most tracks became muddled by poor lyrics and excessive autotune. Martinez also sings in what I can only describe as a whisper-yell in multiple tracks on this album, which is grating to listen to. Music should not be difficult to enjoy, and HADES is very difficult to enjoy.
Finally, it would be remiss of me not to discuss track 4 of the album, ‘WHITE BOY WITH A GUN.’ It is a laughably bad piece of music. From the disorganized lyrics to the overstimulating beat and the poor title, it is hard to listen to without becoming fatigued. It reminded me of the track ‘NYMPHOLOGY’ on her third album, PORTALS, except it was significantly worse.
HADES made me so disappointed to hear that I had to play the entirety of Geese’s album ‘Getting Killed’ afterwards to remind myself what good music sounds like. Ultimately, Martinez has lost touch with her authenticity, motivation, and audience. While she has a hauntingly beautiful voice, she hinders it with vocal effects and gimmicks that take away from her talent. This album let me down and felt like a jumble of unused tracks compiled to sell units. In the future, I hope that she decides to explore a completely new direction with her music, as she has trapped herself in an aesthetic that no longer serves her.
Album rating: 3.5/10