Marina, who previously recorded as Marina and the Diamonds, is back after a three-year break with the electropop album Princess of Power, which explores themes of empowerment, healing, and feminine strength.
It is her sixth album, following Ancient Dreams In A Modern Land. The albums have very different themes, with Ancient Dreams In A Modern Land having songs about heartbreak, discrimination, and global warming.
On “Adult Girl” from the new album, Marina reflects on how her younger years were taken from her. She says the child inside her “wants to scream and cry and rage but who am I to dig her grave,” showing how she still retains her childlike qualities.
While the whole album has electric instrumentals, “Final Boss” also adds in electric sound effects. The song reminds listeners of video game music with the sound effects and some lyrics with autotune.
“Princess of Power” has remnants of The Family Jewels, one of Marina’s most popular albums. The muffled voice in “Princess of Power” is similar to the muffled voice in “Are You Satisfied?”
Despite most of the songs on the album having a positive tone, “Digital Fantasy” has a different message. The lyrics, “Want a digital fantasy / You don’t even want the real me” describe the theme of the song: finding real love in a world of social media. The lyrics tell a story of Marina falling in love with someone but finding out they don’t want the real her.
Over all, the 13 new tracks from Marina gives fans a taste of her older music while having more positive messages.
