As the portal closes behind her, Melanie Martinez parts ways with her character Crybaby and introduces Circle in her fourth album HADES. On March 27, Martinez released HADES as the first of her two albums to come out in 2026.
The story behind HADES
Within HADES, Martinez’s character Circle is a pop star manufactured by “Hades Tech,” a dystopian company within Martinez’s story that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to manipulate pop stars and ultimately accomplish their goal of replacing all human music artists with AI music artists. Circle was originally raised in a secluded cult before being extracted by “Hades Tech,” injected with invasive artificial intelligence technology, and thrust into an AI-driven society.
As described by “Hades Tech” in a promotional post by Martinez prior to the album’s release, Circle’s reprogramming is “a necessary sacrifice, one that will justify the permanent banning of human artists once and for all.”
While Martinez’s world for HADES is a fictional dystopian world, the songs and issues addressed throughout the album are reminiscent of ongoing issues in the world right now. Martinez often connects ongoing societal issues to the worlds she creates within her albums, giving the songs an ambiguous sentiment.
Breaking down the songs
Martinez begins the album with peaceful sounds of nature being abruptly disrupted by an explosion sound, submerging the listeners into the chaotic dystopian world Circle lives in. Throughout the song “GARBAGE,” Martinez addresses the issues she sees in the world, such as the several ongoing wars, Immigration Customs and Services (ICE), AI, and socially normalized addictions to social media. The lyrics “Beauty in garbage, beauty in garbage” are both played in the beginning and the end of the song, emphasizing how one must find peace within the world, despite all of the negativity surrounding them.
As ominous chords begin to fill the silence left by “GARBAGE,” “IS THIS A CULT? lures listeners into a tale regarding predators and their manipulative actions. “IS THIS A CULT” follows the character Circle as she is lured into joining a cult by the cult leader, a man named Hades, through his charming appeals. The song signifies how predators often disguise themselves as an amiable acquaintance when attempting to take advantage of their prey. Martinez continues the song with “We see the future and get what we want/We killed the leader, and now we’re on top,” insinuating that the cult revolted against their predator, Hades, resulting in his murder.
“POSSESSION” tells the story of Circle’s toxic, loveless marriage with a man who fails to treat her properly. She is forced to maintain a perfect image while suffering from the abuse within her relationship, leading Circle to attempt suicide in an attempt to escape a man who constantly uses her and treats her as an object. The song pokes fun at the “trad (traditional) wife” stereotype while still exposing emotionally and physically abusive relationships.
“WHITE BOY WITH A GUN” criticizes individuals who disguise their beliefs through a facade, specifically those whom she considers to be ignorant, racist, or sexist. The song’s catchy rhythm and hard-hitting message .
“DISNEY PRINCESS” divulges into the effects of fame, depicting how many stars resort to substance abuse in the face of stress. Martinez exemplifies the loss of innocence that many stars face with drugs and sexual exploitation, as well as the heightened self expectations and the consequential mental health issues that arise for many stars.
“GRUDGES” creates a brutal and violent visual of Circle reaching her limit. Tired of being constantly stepped on, Circle takes back control after being pushed over the edge. The lyrics “No rhyme or reason for your mistreatment/You got me up now, smashing the ceiling” and “I’m sweet, but wait ’til a Scorpio slides/In the mix, and gouges both of your eyes/F— around that much and, oh, you’ll find a grudge for life” prompts listeners to think about the true meaning of the song: feminine rage. “GRUDGES” is the embodiment of feminine rage; it covers the full story of Circle acting docile, trying to please a cruel man, her mistreatment from him, to her finally snapping and viciously putting an end to their relationship.
“MONOPOLY MAN” criticizes capitalism, while shaming billionaires for having more money than one can ever need while refusing to share the wealth. Martinez sings “still, you’re making more, more than you can spend/In a whole eternity, Monopoly man/What’s your desire? Own the earth and stars,” shining a light on corporate greed, condemning large corporations, and denouncing avaricious billionaires. Regarding the song’s production, the ending’s inclined speed and fast pace tempo is meant to mimic a spinning coin.
“AVOIDANT” depicts a relationship in which one’s lover had been hurt in previous relationships, and had consequently been distant and avoidant in their new relationship. Throughout the song, Martinez attempts to reassure her lover that their relationship would not leave them hurt, all while coping with her lover’s lack of commitment in the relationship. In the song’s outro, Martinez comes to terms with the fact that her lover remained avoidant despite her continuous affection.
While Martinez’s affection couldn’t save their relationship, Martinez hopes her love will eventually teach her lover to be affectionate in the future as she sings “When you’re out there, talking to someone new/Think of everything that I have given you/Maybe she can get some of that love too/That’s what my love can do.”
Adding on to “AVOIDANT,” “MONOLITH” describes Martinez’s continued efforts to comfort those in her life, which Martinez finds to be unreciprocated when she is in need. She sings, “I am the monument, the monolith/A wound cracked open for them to pour salt in,” depicting how Martinez is frequently put on display and treated like an object, as the internet often targets hatred towards her and nobody comes to her defense.
“WEIGHT WATCHERS” tells Martinez’s own personal story of dealing with judgmental eyes constantly on her due to her limelight. Whether she was looking through comments about her songs or simply opening social media, Martinez found a common thread of focus: her weight. Turning that focus into something many can relate to, Martinez produced a song that not only bashes those judgmental eyes, but also the new societal beauty standards.
“THE PLAGUE” describes the disheartening scenery when a plague is rapidly spreading. Drawing references from the Black Plague and the COVID-19 pandemic, Martinez describes how some may lack empathy for those who are ill out of fear of catching the illness themself. Martinez describes the horrible smell of death that fills the streets and the rapid death toll that results from the disease. Martinez concludes the song with “Nuclear war will take us next/Oh, the plague, it took my-,” implying “the plague” had taken her final breath.
“BATS— INTELLIGENCE” feels like a direct hit at the government, rich, and corrupt individuals in society who allow corruption to spread while only indulging in what benefits them. Martinez opens the song with “Parasite man, what is your plan?/Claim you’re the highest intelligence,” directly calling out those who inflate their ego while watching the rest of the world corrode and suffer. Martinez calls out corrupt individuals as she continues with “Keep your emotion, lead with devotion/Kill the oppressor, drunk on corruption.”
In “GUTTER” Martinez forces listeners to acknowledge the current homeless crisis in America. Bringing back the idea of corporate greed, she focuses on the human impact and how America as a united country should not leave people of said country to fend for themselves. In lyrics like, “Build your community, don’t get immune to this,” Martinez urges her audience to not fall in line with the neglectful behavior towards homeless communities, but rather to help build them up. The chorus pushes listeners to see what is often forgotten when dehumanizing a community: humanity. “Don’t see the pain, see the harm,” “See the truth, see the lives/See the severed family ties,” and “See the child, they have a mother/You just throw them in the gutter.” Humanity is often the first thing stripped from a targeted community, and Martinez is quick to do her best to give it back to them in “GUTTER”.
“UNCANNY VALLEY” is the third single off of Martinez’s new album, describing the extreme and unrealistic beauty standards and the extreme lengths some are willing to go to look “perfect.” Martinez describes the constant pressure to adhere to trends and look attractive to an “uncanny valley” extent. While going to these “uncanny valley hot” extents in an attempt to please someone, Martinez ultimately finds herself unsuccessful as she concludes with “Uncanny valley hot/Never enough, give you all my love/Never good enough.”
Hit after hit, Martinez came to obliterate people, specifically men, who hide behind their religion (predominantly Catholic and Christian) to commit crimes in “THE VATICAN.” Martinez sings about how men will treat women with anything but respect, their wandering hands never staying to themselves, and no matter how hard they try to convey the supremacy of heterosexuality, they still find themselves kneeling and worshipping greedy and corrupt men that they put on pedestals next to God. She also brings up the stereotype of the Catholic Church’s controversial way of handling young boys through the lyrics, “Bet those robes they wear make you feel kinda freaky/Well, too bad, they are all celibate/It’s no wonder all the scandals are involving hurting little boys.” The theme of freaks in robes and creeps giving sermons, “THE VATICAN” is Martinez’s not-so-subtle hit at the Catholic Church, incels, and cowardly men who would do anything but treat women properly.
“HELL’S FRONT PORCH” illustrates the negative effects caused by oil leaks, pollution, and global warming. Martinez sings “If the summer once brought us paradise/Drinkin’ poison ‘til we’re sponges/Kick our feet up to the sun/It’s not easy to get back to what it was,” describing the changes and the environmental effects that followed.
Another one of Martinez’s own stories told through song, “CHATROOM” recounts her personal experience of targeted online hate. However, lyrics like “About your own sad life?/Project your pain outward/Aspiring to be a knife (What a life)” show listeners that Martinez no longer takes these online attacks to heart as she did before because she understands that these people have no life and would rather spend their time harassing others to find joy.
While many choose to stress over the end of the world, a consequence that they have brought onto themselves, Circle plans to spend her last few moments with a lover. “THE LAST TWO PEOPLE ON EARTH” narrates an apocalyptic, yet romantic ending to Circle’s life. The intimate and lustful lyrics bring forth the idea of two young lovers comforting each other right before death rips them apart.
Teti & Rzonca’s thoughts
From Martinez’s phenomenal vocals in songs such as “AVOIDANT,” and “MONOLITH,” to her passionate and deep lyrics in “GARBAGE,” and “GUTTER,” we felt almost completely submerged in Martinez’s dystopian world due to the resemblance of our own world. Each song was tied to an issue our world is facing today; however, in Martinez’s dystopian world we see what may result if these issues continue without intervention.
We felt that her unique production, which, at times, vastly differed from the production styles of her previous albums, was perfectly executed, distinguishing this album from her previous works with more variety in sounds. Songs such as “MONOPOLY MAN” and “THE PLAGUE” display Martinez’s incredible versatility in production styles with their fast paced, rhythmic style.
Martinez’s outspoken manner in this album is the cherry on top of an already outstanding release. Martinez addressed many issues that are often overlooked or uncared for, and once again turned her music into a call to action for global issues to be addressed.
While the story of Circle has been told throughout Martinez’s album, HADES, listeners have only skimmed the surface of Circle’s full story. Martinez has confirmed her album “HADES” will have an accompanying movie, similar to her “K-12” film which was released alongside her K-12 album. While the movie has yet to be filmed, Martinez confirmed she has written the script and is currently working on getting the film fully into production.
Martinez has also confirmed a second album, which will be released later this year. Martinez’s new album is a utopian counterpart to HADES, which will likely continue Circle’s story. While the album’s name is still under wraps, online speculation has led many fans to believe it will be named “Elysium,” which is a paradise found within Hades according to Greek mythology.
4.5/5 stars
