Melanie Martinez - HADES [2LP Pink]

Melanie Martinez leaves the pastel nurseries and classrooms of her past far behind on HADES, presented here as a pink 2LP set in a gatefold jacket with a booklet and poster.

Released in 2026, her fourth studio album is the first half of a planned double release, with this record taking on the dystopian side of the concept. Where Portals followed a reborn creature through the afterlife, HADES uses mythological allegory to examine the power structures already shaping everyday life, from organised religion and corporate greed to celebrity culture and artificial intelligence. Martinez has described the album as a cracked mirror, pointed squarely at the present rather than some distant future.

CJ Baran leads the production, joined by Halo Boy, Justin Greenwood, Arthur Besna and Malay, and the sound leans into dark pop with sharp alternative edges. Possession and Disney Princess, the first two singles, set the tone and introduced the new era. Uncanny Valley and The Vatican followed, titles that point straight at the record's preoccupation with technology and faith.

Spread across eighteen tracks and more than seventy minutes, HADES is her most ambitious statement yet, made for listeners who love decoding every symbol and lyric. The double vinyl gives the whole story room to unfold, one side at a time.