“Void” is Melanie Martinez introducing us to the extreme level of insecurities and self-loathing going on in her head. The second single from her album Portals continues with Martinez’s promise to address the deep fears that haunt our existence with her latest record.
While “Death” is basically trying to strip us of the pain of losing a loved one and, at the same time, preparing us to face death whenever and however it comes – “we all die one day” – “Void” is about defeating the noise inspired by society’s judgemental ways.
Martinez’s vocals on “Void” is light and airy, and along with the topline bass guitar and live drum by Rhys Hastings, feel otherworldly.
“Baby, I’m spinning ’round the corner / It’s tasting kind of lonely and my mind wants to control me / Ah-ah-ah-empty, there’s rotten things left in me / Injected by society, no one here but me to judge me,” the opening verse goes, with the lyrics trying to make us understand the deep pain that comes with judging oneself too cruelly.
However, dwelling in the void while it eats her up is not something she intends to keep at, as she knows she’s “got to escape that void” and stop it from messing up her life and driving her to the edge. She also notes that leaving the void is the only choice she can make to be happy. Relating her self-confessing needs to the catholicism act of opening up to a priest, she sings about constantly judging herself “like a priest behind confession walls.”
Speaking about the inspiration behind the songs on Portals and what she wants them to achieve, Martinez wrote: “I hope the weight of mortality that society has placed on people becomes lighter. I hope grief becomes easier for people while listening to this record. That they can enjoy this life to the fullest knowing that we’re all just here to grow, create, feel, and have shared experiences with one another to help each-other evolve.”
“Void” was written and produced by Martinez, who says the song represents so many things apart from “my anxiety, my tendency to overthink, and being overly critical of myself.” She adds, “It is also the second stage of the afterlife that I found was the most commonly described experience in hypnotherapy. It is about finding yourself in a dark place that feels like an endless abyss of self-criticism. There is not God, nor man able to judge you. you are left alone with your harshest critic, yourself, and the only way out is to find the light within.”