Marisa Maino – STAGES OF LOVE & HEARTBREAK (10 April 2020) (Album review)

Marisa Maino – STAGES OF LOVE & HEARTBREAK (10 April 2020) All right! What did I say to myself when I discovered Marisa Maino?I said to myself, with an unlimited number of prejudices: – another vulgar girl (just look at her photos)- another girl who dyes her hair all different colours- another teenager who talks about all the problems of her youth to anyone who will listen- yet another singer for young girls in need of a thrill – I’d probably have liked her if I’d discovered her before singers like Alexz Johnson (who’s also an actress) in the 2000s.But as it is, Marisa seems rather hard to pin down. I haven’t seen any of her videos yet… but she looks like the little coquette, the one who’s always pulling a face, the one your mother would hate to see as your best friend.

She manages to have a certain class, with a Marilyn style, a grunge style with jeans and a Rock t-shirt, simply wearing a thong, boots and a very short top… or downright in a very ordinary, even discreet style that makes you think she’s a little angel. As you can see, aesthetics are very important in her visual universe. She’s a true artist who plays the actress. And deep down, she doesn’t seem to be bothered. She’s just having fun. On the rather empty presentation page of her official website, all you see is a “hi. i write songs and do dumb shit. i hope u stick around for a bit (: new music coming soon xoxo.” No CD, no vinyl, no Bandcamp, apparently. Fortunately, I was able to listen to his music on Soundcloud. But… watch out, folks, that’s where I got a really big slap in the face! When I did a little more research, I discovered that Marisa… was the lead singer of Tramp Stamps! A band I’ve always adored, even if their vulgarity (precisely!) was rather embarrassing, even if not without a good sense of humour.

So…Tramp Stamps were an American pop-punk band from Nashville, Tennessee. Not to be confused with Trampstamp from Kinna, Sweden, the band with Emilia, Amelie, Robert, Carl & Fredrik. Who are also a totally unknown, brilliant band. What an injustice! So…The trio consisted of singer Marisa Maino, guitarist Caroline Baker and drummer Paige Blue. After initially gaining popularity on the TikTok platform, the group had received backlash for their controversial lyrical content, use of punk culture aesthetics without understanding their significance and alleged links to the commercial music industry. This must have had an impact on the fact that they were only active from 2020 to 2021.

The band played Pop Punk, often fusing elements of pop music and Skate Punk. Tramp Stamps’ music has been described as “feminist punk” by Vice News and “queer punk” by Rolling Stone. Since 2020, the band have released music on their own label, Make Tampons Free.

Tramp Stamps sounded a bit like the immature, cheeky, bitchy little sisters of bands like Slow Pulp, Illuminati Hotties, Pom Pom Squad, Japanese Breakfast, Momma and the list goes on… But it was still a pleasant sight! And I wish they’d lasted longer. I’m glad Marisa Maino is still singing. Let’s hope her White Trash Pop lasts a few years…

My Rating