''Love + Fear (Acoustic)'' is the seventh

extended play An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.

by Welsh singer and songwriter

Marina A marina (from Spanish , Portuguese and Italian : ''marina'', "coast" or "shore") is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats. A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships o ...

. It was released digitally on 13 September 2019 by

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most i ...

and contains five acoustic versions of songs that originally appeared on Marina's fourth studio album, ''

Love + Fear Love encompasses a range of strong and positive emotional and mental states, from the most sublime virtue or good habit, the deepest interpersonal affection, to the simplest pleasure. An example of this range of meanings is that the lov ...

'' (2019). The EP was first announced just weeks prior to its release and Benjamin Fletcher serves as the sole producer. While deciding on the track listing for the EP, Marina chose songs from the album that she felt very comfortable with and would translate well when stripped-down. To promote ''Love + Fear (Acoustic)'', Marina appeared as a guest on ''

Jimmy Kimmel Live! ''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'' is an American late-night talk show, created and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, broadcast on American Broadcasting Company, ABC. The nightly hour-long show debuted on January 26, 2003, at Hollywood Masonic Temple in Hollywood, Los ...

'' in 2019 and

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

s for the acoustic versions of "True", " Superstar", and "

Karma Karma (; sa, कर्म}, ; pi, kamma, italic=yes) in Sanskrit means an action, work, or deed, and its effect or consequences. In Indian religions, the term more specifically refers to a principle of cause and effect, often descriptivel ...

" were released. The videos were all directed by Nikko LaMere and uploaded to

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

throughout September 2019. The EP received positive to mixed reviews from music critics, with several of them praising the new version of " Orange Trees". Criticism was aimed at the selection of songs by some, with one reviewer calling it too safe.

Background and release

To mark a new era in her career, Marina stated via

Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...

in 2018 that she would be dropping her "and the Diamonds" moniker from her stage name to release music as simply Marina (stylised in all caps), explaining that: "It took me well over a year to figure out that a lot of my identity was tied up in who I was as an artist... and there wasn't much left of who ''I'' was." Following the announcement, she released " Baby" with

Clean Bandit Clean Bandit are an English electronic music group, formed in Cambridge in 2008. They have had four number 1 hits and ten top 10 hits on the UK Singles Chart. They direct and produce their own music videos, many of which have been nominated for ...

, her first new

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

with her new name. She also recorded a fourth studio album, ''

'', which was released on 26 April 2019. In support of the album, Marina embarked on the Love + Fear Tour, which debuted on 29 April 2019 at the

O2 Academy Newcastle NX Newcastle, formerly known as the O2 Academy Newcastle, is a music venue in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It opened in the former Majestic Ballroom building on 14 October 2005 as the Carling Academy, and was renamed for Telefónica Europe's ...

Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is ...

, England. On 4 September 2019 via

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, Marina first announced ''Love + Fear (Acoustic)'', a digital extended play that features acoustic versions of songs from ''Love + Fear''. That same day, an official press release by

and

Neon Gold Records Neon Gold Records is a New York City-based boutique record label founded in 2008 by Derek Davies and Lizzy Plapinger. Initially operating as a vinyl-only singles label, Neon Gold has launched the debut releases and international careers of ma ...

confirmed her news, with the release describing the EP as a collection of "powerful" stripped-down songs. In an interview with ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' published on 13 September 2019, Marina stated that the acoustic versions of songs from her previous albums had become popular with fans, which prompted the idea of releasing an acoustic-dedicated EP. Marina also revealed how she determined what songs from ''Love + Fear'' were to be re-recorded for ''Love + Fear (Acoustic)'', saying:

Well, I think sometimes when the production is more ..
synthetic Synthetic things are composed of multiple parts, often with the implication that they are artificial. In particular, 'synthetic' may refer to: Science * Synthetic chemical or compound, produced by the process of chemical synthesis * Synthetic o ...
sometimes some songs don't carry as well acoustically, but I think it's more just to do with the structure of the song and the ease of singing it. Like, it's down to how comfortable I feel singing it, so I've picked songs that felt very natural and easy for me to sing.

Alongside recording the songs for ''Love + Fear (Acoustic)'' in 2019, Marina rehearsed the EP's acoustic versions of her songs in preparation for her Love + Fear Tour during autumn. "True", " Superstar", "

", "No More Suckers", and " Orange Trees" from ''Love + Fear'' were chosen for the final track listing. Atlantic Records sent ''Love + Fear (Acoustic)'' to music distributors such as Amazon Music and

Apple Music Apple Music is a music, audio and video streaming service developed by Apple Inc. Users select music to stream to their device on-demand, or they can listen to existing playlists. The service also includes the Internet radio stations Apple M ...

for digital download and

streaming Streaming media is multimedia that is delivered and consumed in a continuous manner from a source, with little or no intermediate storage in network elements. ''Streaming'' refers to the delivery method of content, rather than the content it ...

on 13 September 2019. English musician Benjamin Fletcher is credited as the EP's sole producer.

Promotion

Following its release in April 2019, ''Love + Fear'' received significant hype and attention due to Marina's extended four year hiatus. Meanwhile, Marina made several promotional media appearances in the United States on

late-night talk show A late-night talk show is a genre of talk show popular in the United States, where the format originated. It is generally structured around humorous monologues about the day's news, guest interviews, comedy sketches and music performances. It i ...

s. She appeared as a musical guest for ''

'' on 4 September 2019, where Marina performed "Karma" in a similar wardrobe as seen in the accompanying

. According to Lake Schatz from '' Consequence of Sound'', the appearance on the show was to promote ''Love + Fear (Acoustic)'' in addition to the album and her upcoming tour dates for the Love + Fear Tour in the US. Marina released three music videos for the versions of her songs that appear on the EP. All of the clips were directed by American photographer Nikko LaMere and filmed throughout the last week of August 2019. They were all uploaded to Marina's

channel during the next month. The first visual, accompanying "Superstar", was released alongside ''Love + Fear (Acoustic)'' on 13 September. On 16 September, the video for "True" was released. The final music video accompanied "Karma" and was released on 25 September 2019. The clip depicts Marina as a

black-and-white Black-and-white (B&W or B/W) images combine black and white in a continuous spectrum, producing a range of shades of grey. Media The history of various visual media began with black and white, and as technology improved, altered to color. ...

jester A jester, court jester, fool or joker was a member of the household of a nobleman or a monarch employed to entertain guests during the medieval and Renaissance eras. Jesters were also itinerant performers who entertained common folk at fairs and ...

that dances and wears an "asymmetrical jumpsuit with frilly cuffs and sparkly corset".

Critical reception

''Love + Fear'' was met with mixed to positive reviews from music critics. Mike Nied from '' Idolator'' provided a positive review of the EP, writing that Marina "breathes new life into previous single 'Superstar'" and he described the acoustic version of "Orange Trees" as his "personal favorite" and the "absolute standout of the bunch". Allison Stubblebine, writing for ''

Nylon Nylon is a generic designation for a family of synthetic polymers composed of polyamides ( repeating units linked by amide links).The polyamides may be aliphatic or semi-aromatic. Nylon is a silk-like thermoplastic, generally made from petro ...

'', called the EP a collection of "stripped-down songs" and considered it a surprise release aimed at Marina's fanbase. Riana Buchman from

WRBB WRBB (104.9 FM) is a radio station broadcasting a variety format, run by the students of Northeastern University. Licensed to Boston, Massachusetts, United States, it serves the Greater Boston area. The station is owned by Northeastern and trans ...

was somewhat mixed in her review of ''Love + Fear (Acoustic)'', giving it three stars out of five. While she enjoyed "Orange Trees" as the closing track of the EP and called it the main highlight, Buchman said it was "cluttered", and songs like "Superstar" and "Karma" sound like "drab copies of the originals"; with her adding: "Although the acoustic EP delivers a more honest and vulnerable Marina, it also reveals the lack of depth in the original album’s lyrics. Without the distracting, loud synth and booming bass, the lyrics emerge as rather simple and cliche."

Track listing

Credits adapted from

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

. Notes: * All tracks produced by Benjamin Fletcher

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from

Tidal Tidal is the adjectival form of tide. Tidal may also refer to: * Tidal (album), ''Tidal'' (album), a 1996 album by Fiona Apple * Tidal (king), a king involved in the Battle of the Vale of Siddim * TidalCycles, a live coding environment for music * ...

. * Marina Diamandiswriter, lead vocals, backing vocals *

Noonie Bao Jonnali Mikaela Parmenius (born 9 August 1987), better known by the stage name Noonie Bao, is a Swedish singer, songwriter and record producer. She has written songs for artists such as Don Diablo, Ava Max, Katy Perry, Zara Larsson, Charli XCX, ...

writer (track 1) *

Ben Berger Ben Berger (1897 – 1988) was a Minneapolis businessman, perhaps best known for being one of the original owners of the Detroit Gems National Basketball League team, which he helped move to Minneapolis and renamed the Minneapolis Lakers. Biogr ...

writer (tracks 2, 3), additional keyboards (track 2) * James Flanniganwriter (track 4), piano (track 4), additional keyboards writer (track 4) *

Oscar Görres Oscar Michael Görres (born 20 March 1986), also known as OzGo, is a Swedish record producer, songwriter, and musician. He is best known for writing and producing songs with the likes of Marina Diamandis, MARINA, Taylor Swift, 5 Seconds of Summer, ...

writer (tracks 1, 5) * Erik Hasslewriter (track 5) *

Oscar Holter Oscar Thomas Holter (born 26 February 1986) is a Swedish record producer and songwriter based in the United States. He is best known for his work with record producer and fellow Swede Max Martin and Canadian singer-songwriter the Weeknd on the ...

writer (track 1) * Alex Hopewriter (track 4), piano (track 4), additional keyboards (track 4) * Jakob Jerlstromwriter (track 5) * Ryan McMahonwriter (track 2, 3), additional keyboards (track 2) * Jack Pattersonwriter (track 3) * Ryan Rabinwriter (track 2, 3), additional keyboards (track 2) * Benjamin Fletcherproducer, engineer, guitar, percussion, piano * Kevin Tuffymasterer * Jonny Breakwellmixer, assistant mixer (track 2), assistant mix engineer (tracks 3, 4) * Daniel Moylermixer (tracks 1-4), additional programmer (tracks 2, 3) * Dan Gretchadditional guitar (track 1), synthesizer (track 1) * Mark Ralphmixer (track 5), additional production (track 5), additional guitar (tracks 3, 5) *

Sam de Jong Sam de Jong (born 20 March 1989) is a record producer and songwriter from Auckland, New Zealand, based in Los Angeles, California. __TOC__ Career Making his start in the music industry at 16 years old as a touring drummer, Sam is best known ...

additional keyboards (track 2)

Release history

References

External links

* {{Marina Diamandis 2019 EPs Atlantic Records EPs Marina Diamandis EPs Acoustic albums