Rating: 8.5/10
María Zardoya, lead vocalist for indie pop band The Marías, released her first-ever solo album under the artist name, Not For Radio. The album, called “Melt,” was released on Friday, and it contains 10 tracks. Melodically, “Melt” is reflective and nostalgic, and the album consists of thoughtfully penned lyrics that match Zardoya’s experiences with heartbreak and rebirth to natural phenomena.
While The Marías have cemented their place as a band through hits such as “No One Noticed” and “Heavy,” Zardoya shines as a solo artist, utilizing her songwriting and a soft, dreamy pop sound to share her perspectives on relationships, loss and self-discovery.
Zardoya shared that she intentionally wrote “Melt” during a winter in upstate New York, and the album incorporates many themes of nature and the “melting away” of a frozen landscape. The album reflects aspects of the natural world sonically and even visually through the cover art of “Melt,” which depicts Zardoya standing in a forest.
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Many tracks on “Melt” were similar in sound to The Marías’ previous albums, specifically their 2024 album “Submarine.” Despite this, the album was simultaneously unique to Zardoya and distinguished her place musically as Not For Radio.
The Marías have created brilliant tracks that resonate with listeners all over the globe, especially in terms of longing and heartbreak. However, “Melt” places a greater emphasis on playing with melodies to incorporate simple elements of nature into songs, whether it be changes in seasons or aspects of a landscape.
Upon hearing the opening track “Puddles,” listeners are immediately hooked by a descending piano melody that seems to imitate falling water, followed by gentle drums and Zardoya’s enchanting vocals. Zardoya’s lyricism is thought-provoking and reflects her inner thoughts in relationships, all while using nature as a backdrop.
In the same track, Zardoya sings, “Through the trees, I forget/ That we’ve not even met/ But I wanna pretend/ That you’re living with me.” In the chorus of “Puddles,” Zardoya confesses, “I’m seeing double, I’m already scared/ Scared of what losing feels after we dare.”
This opening song gives a glimpse into the rest of the album and its use of the environment to reflect deep thoughts and feelings — and the remaining nine tracks do not disappoint.
The seventh track, “Magnet,” is a high point of the album. The song depicts Zardoya’s yearning for a lover whom she desperately craves, but the person is distant and out of reach. After listeners hear a dreamlike opening on guitar, “Magnet” begins with Zardoya’s haunting voice singing, “In a dream, I will have you/ So far away, so far.”
The song’s chorus further emulates her deepest desire to be close to the song’s subject: “All the way down/ Like a breakdown/ Like a magnet/ Gotta have it.”
While this song is not overloaded with lyrics, the light sound of Zardoya’s voice and the rich instrumental background in “Magnet” make this track worth listening to.
“Melt” closes with another memorable track that leaves listeners satisfied at the album’s end, “Slip.” This song opens with the simple sound of rushing water, which takes listeners back to the natural world and provides a fresh, earthly sound to the track.
A standout moment in this song is when Zardoya sings, “Crossing the lake beneath our feet/ When I was scared of falling beneath.”
This lyric alone creates imagery of a frozen, wintry landscape, but it additionally reflects a time in the past when Zardoya was nervous about falling in love with a past partner.
This insecurity is later present when Zardoya repeatedly sings, “Don’t go,” in hushed tones in the chorus, shining a light on her hidden emotions. Once again, the song is soft and calming, but Zardoya’s lyricism and ability to incorporate nature into her words make the meaning of “Slip” deeper than it seems to be on the surface.
Overall, “Melt” proved to be a strong album. Through these tracks, Zardoya has created a unique world of her own — a mossy, forested and exuberant world that listeners cannot wait to dive into again.
Fans of Zardoya’s music as a member of The Marías and even unfamiliar listeners will be able to appreciate the fact that “Melt” is truly a work of art. It transports listeners to an alternate reality that they won’t want to leave.
