SINGLE REVIEW: Marina – Handmade Heaven

Dropping the “And The Diamonds” from her name, Marina has made her comeback after the lacklustre impact her third studio album ‘Froot’ had. In between that time she’s worked on some collaborations, toured (everywhere but Australia) and spent some time figuring out what her next move creatively would be. ‘Handmade Heaven’ is the first taste of what is to come and it’s a different direction to what was expected. This melodic pop ballad sonically floats somewhere in between The ‘Family Jewels’ and ‘Electra Heart’ eras whilst also citing influence from Lana Del Rey with her dreamy harmonies. It’s a song that isn’t commercially accessible unlike ‘Primadonna’ so don’t expect it on the charts anytime soon but it’s a song that her fans will throughly enjoy. It showcases her strong theatrical vocals and puts emphasis on her very cinematic production that also elevates her sound. However with not a lot of personality or impactful substance it’s unclear what direction she is heading towards for this album. It really could go either way at the moment so it will be interesting to hear what’s next. Where as with each album beforehand you could see and feel the direction she wanted to head in. Because I don’t really believe she will give us a whole album of cinematic styled ballads.