The “other” of the chanting crowd fades as a singular spotlight illuminates Maria Zardoya. The Marias’ leader lies in a translucent bathtub, microphone in hand and partially submerged in its warm water. The somber piano of “If Only,” a ballad from her second album, “Submarine,” fills the entire Hollywood Forever Cemetery. Zardoya’s voice takes on a melancholic, siren-like quality, while a trumpet adds a noir jazz accent to the haunting display.
As the song’s final notes linger, the 29-year-old singer retreats into the portable water, sinking her head far below the surface. Damping off her surroundings, she says she’s returned to the exact moments of heartbreak that inspired the Los Angeles-based band’s latest project, “Submarine,” released in May. The record is an unequivocal look at the romantic breakup between the group’s founders, singer and lyricist Zardoya and Josh Conway, a drummer and producer.
Before creating the aquatic spirit of “Submarine,” the band wasn’t sure they could overcome such a drastic shift in dynamic. But with a dedication to vulnerability and their craft, the quartet (Zardoya, Conway, guitarist Jesse Perlman and keyboardist Edward James) were able to overcome this shift and create one of the most notable breakup albums of the summer.
Formed in 2016, The Marías found their niche in alternative music early in their career. The experimental indie track “Only in My Dreams” and the bilingual anthem to requited love “Cariño” cemented their reputation as emerging artists.
(Ringo Chiu / For Of The)
Before the second show of the Submarine tour in Los Angeles, I met the Puerto Rican singer backstage in a shaded tent. Petite in stature, she's wearing a floor-length dress with a large floral detail in the center. As she sips from an official Marías water bottle that reads “María's Bathwater” — a joke shared between the group and its fan base — she recalls the exact moment she felt the group had passed the test of breaking up. It was during their show at New York's Radio City Music Hall a few weeks earlier. The stage arrangement allowed the singer to step up onto a platform, where she could perform from a new vantage point.
“I’d never seen that perspective of the stage before because I’m usually on it. I could see the guys down below and I got really emotional and started crying a little bit. I was like, ‘Guys, we did it,’” Zardoya said. “It was such a beautiful moment because we got through a lot together and now we feel like a family. We’re stronger than ever.”
But this unified feeling within the band did not happen overnight.
Formed in 2016, The Marías found their niche in alternative music early in their career. The experimental indie track “Only in My Dreams” and the bilingual anthem to requited love “Cariño” cemented their reputation as emerging artists. From the beginning, the group has relied on a certain kind of duality to set themselves apart. While Zardoya writes her lyrics in both English and Spanish, Conway was quick to incorporate Latin influences to create a more accurate representation of who they are sonically, putting a unique spin on what could have been conventional indie music.
“I introduced him to a lot of Latin music. Just being around my family and the music and the culture, he picked up on things pretty quickly,” Zardoya said. “He knew it was important for me to show this part of who I am. So when he started doing this mix of reggaeton and indie psychedelia, things got really interesting.”
In 2021, they continued their journey in the alternative space with their Grammy-nominated debut album, “Cinema.” Their mesmerizing blend of soulful rock, dreamy pop, and Latin rhythms has remained consistent, yet still inventive, throughout the band’s nine years together. They’ve even collaborated with fellow Latin musicians like Bad Bunny, Young Miko, and Tainy.
The crowd that filled Hollywood Forever Cemetery last week sings along with the Marías.
(Ringo Chiu / For Of The)
“We’ve been listening to the Marías since we were kids in high school, and the integration of Spanish into their genre means a lot to us,” said Andrés García, a lifelong fan who attended the show in Los Angeles. “I love how the Marías have been able to stay attached to the indie genre while still being who they are. It’s something I notice a lot of Latin indie artists doing now.”
During the Hollywood performance, Zardoya called on her “Latina family” and began listing off various Latin American countries to see who was represented. The lead singer says she is grateful to share the “experience of being Latina in the U.S.” with her fans. Each night on the Submarine tour, Zardoya makes a point to walk through the crowd as she sings. As people push and jostle to catch a glimpse of the lace-clad vocalist, she recalls that performing “makes all the heartbreak moments more memorable.” [behind ‘Submarine’] it's worth it.”
“Submarine” is deeply rooted in the idea of tragic love. No matter how upbeat or funky the tracks may sound, their lyrics all come back to a life-altering heartbreak. “Love You Anyway,” a psychedelic rock-infused track, centers on the lyrics, “I know you’ve always been in love with me / But I know you’ve had to watch me go, too,” directly referencing that the two will always be in love, but have to come to terms with not being together. The dreamy yet heartbreaking “Sienna” transports listeners to another timeline where things work out between Zardoya and Conway, and they have a daughter named Sienna who “would have been cute” and “looked a lot like you.”
Zardoya says writing the album was one of the most impactful experiences she's had. After seven years of dating, she says she was forced to look at life differently. During those difficult times of growing up, she turned to Buddhism.
“What has changed the most in me is the beauty of embracing the present moment. Nothing lasts forever. The only thing that exists is here, now,” Zardoya says. “That has helped me, even on tour, in the sense of taking things one at a time and not looking at the bigger picture.”
María Zardoya takes center stage at the Marías' second performance in Los Angeles.
(Ringo Chiu / For Of The)
After putting so much emotional work into “Submarine,” Zardoya felt like sharing it with the world might help her move on. But after performing its personal content on tour, she finds herself “reliving trauma” night after night.
“It depends on the night. Some nights I think, ‘F— this. I’m sick of dreaming about this. I’m sick of thinking about this. I don’t want to keep reliving this drama,’” Zardoya said. “But other times I think, ‘Thank God I went through this.’ It made me humble as a person. It made me more grateful for life and more tolerant of difficult experiences.”
Walking the fine line between emotional exhaustion and kindness, she has accepted that the aftermath of her breakup will be longer than that of the typical person who isn't in a band with their ex-boyfriend. As she recounts the relationship's ups and downs through each night's set list, she's faced with a decision.
“I want to convey the emotion of these songs, and to do that, I have to re-experience what the song is about. It’s a choice,” Zardoya says. “I could choose to just sing the song and work through the situation. But I want to feel it all, and I want the fans to feel it. Because what’s the point if you don’t feel it?”
With just a few more stops in the U.S., the Marias will take the Submarine tour through Europe in late October. But the band still has plans for “Submarine,” Zardoya reveals that they will be releasing a follow-up EP to the album. Some of the songs on the EP were written alongside the album, while others were written after its release, but still belong in the same world.
“I would say you still feel like you’re underwater, but even more alone,” Zardoya says. “There are no hits. They’re all songs to cry to in the club.”
As the final notes of “Cariño,” the last song of her set, ring out, Zardoya races to the end of the stage. She dives headfirst into the sea of ecstatic fans, intent on crowd surfing. The front section of the venue raises their hands high, preparing to catch the singer. As the rest of the band continues to play, she makes her way through the packed audience, a smile visible from the edges of the crowd. Instead of typical breakup consolations like watching cheesy rom-coms or having a girls’ night out, Zardoya finds her greatest solace in the hands of her listeners.
