K-12

The boundary pushing second album of pop artist, Melanie Martinez, was released in 2019 along with a film of the same name written and directed by Martinez with co-direction by Alissa Torvinen. Similar to Emerald Fennell's 2020 film 'Promising Young Woman', Martinez's film has a pretty Barbie dream house aesthetic that juxtaposes the dark and mature subject matters. Her pink pastel fairyland is overdubbed with a bubblegum pop sound mixed with haunting lyrics.

The album is filled with songs that bring up "topics a lot of artists [might not] normally touch [on] such as equal rights, puberty, neglecting adults, abuse, drugs, etc." For example her song, 'Orange Juice' discusses bulimia and in the film, the character, Angelita gets her period for the first time and Martinez exclaims that "[tampons] should be free". The song 'Strawberry Shortcake' is based on Martinez's own experiences, experiences that most young girls, unfortunately have: "it would be a dress code violation to wear a spaghetti strap and a short skirt because it was a concern that 'what will boys do?' or 'what will boys think if you're dressed like that?"

These thoughts can be heard in the lyrics:

"It's my fault, it's my fault 'cause I put icing on top

Now, the boys want a taste of the strawberry shortcake

That's my bad, that's my bad, no one taught them not to grab

Now, the boys want a taste of the strawberry shortcake".

And in the film, Martinez appears topless atop a giant cake while boys are seen eating and devouring pieces against her will.

More songs contain mature themes showing Martinez's range as a songwriter. She discusses different types of relationships, romantic and platonic. For example, the song 'Teacher's Pet' discusses the damage of an inappropriate student-teacher relationship while 'Lunchbox Friends' is about fair-weathered friends. All taking place in the oppressive school system of the fictional K-12, the film shows that trauma can start at a young age with some of the costumes looking childish. The girls sometimes wear ribbons in their hair accompanied with pink and purple babydoll dresses. However, more grown up looks are seen throughout the film such as sixties beehives and the poufs (the hairstyle made famous by Marie Antoinette, 18th-century France), possibly suggesting that women have been oppressed for ages. "These bright, pastel colors contrast with macabre and thought-provoking visuals and plot-lines", Martinez told Alternative Press.

io9 called the musical fantasy horror a "powerful fairytale about the lives we lead long after leaving school" and I agree. Martinez's sophomore album accompanied with her film debut is a powerful pairing from a very talented artist.

Favorite song on the album: Teacher's Pet