She taught us it’s okay to be a Crybaby, then took us back to K-12, and now, Melanie Martinez is gonna take us adventuring through Portals for their third studio album! On March 31st, we’ll officially be welcomed into the latest world Melanie has created, and we seriously can’t wait to see what she has in store for us.
With their debut album, Crybaby, Melanie introduced us to a toddler character with a wide range of emotions, then sent her to school for K-12, where she met all sorts of characters, got into a ‘Class Fight,’ and much more. While we don’t know what Portals will bring narrative-wise, we’re already absolutely enamored with this era and the teasers Melanie has given us on Instagram.
What better way to get hyped up for the release of Portals than to revisit some of our favorite songs Melanie has released so far? Here are four recommendations you need on your playlists!
‘Dollhouse’
Of course, we have to start with Melanie’s debut single! ‘Dollhouse’ is all about the roles we play in front of other people, while they might be none-the-wiser to what’s actually going on in our lives. And if that idea isn’t thought-provoking enough on its own, ‘Dollhouse’ was also the first time we got a glimpse into Melanie’s incredibly creative concepts – she uses dolls as a metaphor for the acts we put on and how everything can look perfect on the surface while we’re struggling. Artistic genius? We think so! There’s a reason this song is still a fan favorite nine years after its release.
‘Show & Tell’
Flash forward a bit, and Melanie’s one of the biggest artists on the alternative scene. It’s what they deserve! But of course, that comes with challenges, especially in a digital era where you can be one click away from seeing someone’s negative opinion of you. Melanie spun the concept of the show and tell into a commentary on being in the public eye with ‘Show & Tell,’ fluctuating between fairly casual delivery and frantic, frustrated pleas that capture the conflicting feelings of being in the spotlight. The contrast between the show and tell of sharing something you love – in Melanie’s case, the music they create – and the show and tell of baring your soul for a crowd to form their own opinions is so interesting.
‘Play Date’
If you’re on TikTok, you’ll probably recognize ‘Play Date’ as the soundtrack of countless fan edits and cute videos of cats sunbathing. But if you’re a Melanie fan, you’ll recognize it as one of the most creative examples of how they reimagine something fun and playful into something more complex! Here, she uses the idea of a “play date” to express how someone she saw as a potential lover won’t give her the time of day, cooing “I don’t give a f*ck about you anyways” over a music box-esque instrumental. But they later end the song with, “if I share my toys, will you let me stay? Don’t wanna leave this play date with you,” showing they’re willing to fix things if the other person is.
‘Copy Cat’
What could possibly be better than a collab between Melanie Martinez and Tierra Whack? A collab between Melanie Martinez and Tierra Whack that’s on a beat with cats meowing, of course. ‘Copy Cat’ calls out someone for a lack of originality while continuing the narrative theme of the K-12 album – “wanna get that A+, baby, so you take my sh*t… teachers saying you’d get credit, why would you stop now?” Every line on this song is such a power move, and if we were the person on the receiving end of those burns, we’d definitely say the cat’s got our tongue.
Which of these songs is your favorite? On a scale from 1 to (K)12, how excited are you to hear Portals on March 31st? Let us know in the comments below, or hit us up on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter!
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