If there is anything in life we can truly count on, right up there with death and taxes, it’s the certainty that Melanie Martinez will deliver a body of work that leaves its predecessor in the dust when it comes to raw creativity. Since her debut, we’ve watched her evolve from the dollhouse-pop of Cry Baby to the ethereal, creature-led rebirth of Portals. Now, with the release of HADES back in March 2026, Martinez has invited us into her most ambitious, aggressive, and undeniably polarising era yet.
HADES is, at its core, a dark-pop powerhouse. But it’s a far cry from the whimsical nature of her early work. Musically, Martinez has traded the organic, earthy textures of the Portals woods for a sharp, jagged landscape of industrial dark-pop. The record is characterised by chaotic electronic glitching and aggressive, synth-driven beats that hit with mechanical precision. She expertly balances this “beautifully sinister” palette with grandiose, haunting theatrical soundscapes, proving once again that her vocal range and musical diversity are in a league of their own.
However, the music isn’t the only thing that has sharpened. As Martinez has aged, her art has grown increasingly political, and on HADES, she sounds genuinely angry with the state of the world. Her political colours shine through with zero filters, taking direct stabs at Christians and Conservatives. In Martinez’s underworld, there is no room for nuance; she preaches with a “with us or against us” fervour that feels as direct as a punch to the gut.
Take “THE VATICAN” as a prime example. The song is theatrical and grand, incorporating choral elements and massive church-like reverb to turn a pop track into a scathing commentary on power and tradition. In this track, she calls out Christians with no uncertainty, weaving themes of white supremacy into a broader critique of conservative values. Ironically, while Martinez calls out the lack of nuance in others, the song itself remains rigidly fixed in its own perspective.
Musically, the album features some of the best compositions of her career. “GRUDGES” is a wild, rhythmically dense journey, while the heartfelt “GUTTER” provides a raw, stripped-back moment of vulnerability discussing a hot-button issue in the United States currently: homeless folks. Then there is “HELL’S FRONT PORCH,” a definitive call-to-action that starts with a jolly tune before being “infected” by the doom and gloom lyrical content surrounding global warming.
Yet, there’s a catch. Throughout HADES, the message frequently takes precedence over the melody. It reminds us of the shift we saw on Three Days Grace’s Human: at times, the “sermon” becomes louder than the song. In a cultural landscape where many are desperate to return to immersive storytelling and beautiful music without being bombarded by overt messaging, HADES takes the opposite route. There is nothing subliminal here; it is a manifesto set to a beat.
This is perhaps most evident in the six-minute epic “CHATROOM.” It’s a lengthy exploration of the digital underworld, where Martinez recounts her battles with anonymous online trolls. While it’s easy to empathise with the hardship artists face when dealing with nameless vitriol, the song feels less like a musical journey and more like a public venting session. We can only hope that writing it provided the relief she was looking for.
Lyrically, Martinez risks alienating a portion of her audience, one that might not align with her specific worldview. Granted: these fans will be far and wide between. From the content of these 18 tracks, it’s clear she feels that those who think differently have no place in her fanbase.
Ultimately, HADES is an exquisite piece of art from a technical and musical standpoint. It is a triumph that sees Martinez outdoing herself in terms of production and vocal execution. However, it is also a pushy, direct, and often alienating record. It’s an album created by an individual who sees the world through a very specific lens, leaving the listener to decide if they want to inhabit that world with her, and if you’re comprehensively in disagreement with Martinez’s gospel, it would probably be best for you to move on.
Stream HADES right below and let us know your thoughts on the album!
