Electra Heart

Sound DNA

• Pop
• Dance-Pop

• polished
• driving
• club

About

The opening track on <i>Electra Heart</i>—the second full-length by Welsh singer Marina Diamandis and her band—kicks things off with a well-placed pointy-toed boot. It's a tune so sticky and hooky that the word "assault" seems appropriate. Recalling the first wave of female singers who put sharp edges on danceable, pop-rooted music—like Lene Lovich and Kate Bush—Diamandis sinks her canines into the frothy "Bubblegum Bitch" as both an opening salvo and a warning. Where 2010's <i>Family Jewels</i> had a more narrow appeal, peppered with art-rock and new wave flavors, <i>Electra Heart</i> is more mainstream, featuring people who've also collaborated with Katy Perry, Madonna, and Lana Del Rey. But the record is tempered with biting, brash wordplay and unique arrangements that are probably a bit outside the grasp of mainstream U.S. audiences. Sexual politics play a large role thematically, and Diamandis' voice is among the most interesting in the genre right now. "I want blood, guts, and angelcake/I'm gonna puke it anyway," she trills in a semi-operatic moment. Cheekiness meshes well with her cabaret heart.

via Apple Music

Tracklist

Credits