Marina and the Diamonds - I'm A Ruin

'Shampain' hitmaker Marina and the Diamonds had a minor catastrophe last week when her new single, I'm A Ruin, popped up online two weeks ahead of schedule.

Ever the trooper, though, Ms Diamandis shrugged it all off in an admirably balanced series of tweets.

So… Some of you may have heard snippets of 'I'm A Ruin' floating round the web. It leaked because my 7" vinyl shipped this week

— Marina Diamandis (@MarinasDiamonds) January 23, 2015

If you can’t wait, that’s ok.

— Marina Diamandis (@MarinasDiamonds) January 23, 2015

If you CAN wait, my friend @HuwStephens will be premiering the real version next Tuesday on his show on Radio 1...

— Marina Diamandis (@MarinasDiamonds) January 23, 2015

How pragmatic. How empathetic. How unlike Madonna and her toys-out-of-the-pram comments about "artistic rape".

Anyway, Tuesday has rolled around and, as promised. Huw "Heugh" Stephens has played I'm A Ruin on his radio show and it is exceptionally good - in the subtle, emotional way that most of the pre-release tracks from Marina's new album have already proved to be.

This one sees our heroine admit she's a nightmare in relationships, but she just can't help herself. "I know I'm playing with your heart," she sings, "And I could treat you better but I'm not that smart".

As in all her best work, Marina balances the psychobabble with a catchy hook. Here, it's in a post-chorus "yeah-yeah, uh-huh" bit that's 24-carat pop gold.


Marina and the Diamonds - I'm A Ruin

I'm A Ruin is the first official single from Marina's third album Froot, which is out on 22 March. The singer helpfully posted the lyrics and the artwork for the song online after the Radio 1 premiere. There's a video coming soon, too...

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