SONG REVIEW – MELANIE MARTINEZ

It’s been almost three years since Melanie last dropped her third studio album, “PORTALS”. Since then, she’s stayed silent for the most part in reference to any new music. “POSSESSION” was released on January 28th, 2026, and only just recently has she announced her fourth studio album, “HADES”, which is set to drop on March 27th.

As for the single, Melanie seems to stick with the sonic direction taken in “PORTALS”, with a strong focus on drums and electric guitar. However, she opts for a slighter softer, more melodic sound as opposed to the previous album’s brashness. As time has gone on, Melanie’s work has become increasingly more personal, with her songs revolving around previous relationships rather than the expansive variety of topics shown in her earlier discography. Aesthetically, she actually seems to be pulling from earlier ideas, to create a blend of old and new.

The song itself sounds great, I love how she’s decided to stick with the production in “PORTALS” as I feel a musical rebrand here would be unnecessary. Purely because of how similar it sounds, I’m hoping to see some variation in the full project, maybe something to set it apart from her other eras. All in all, this is a great start to Melanie’s new project and I’m excited to see more!

LYRICAL INQUIRY’S RATING: 7/10

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