The Marías

The Marías emerged as an indie pop outfit centered on enigmatic bilingual frontwoman María Zardoya and drummer/producer Josh Conway, whose sound fuses psych, jazz, Latin, and lounge textures. After cultivating a refined presence on the Los Angeles club scene, the group unveiled EPs Superclean, Vols. 1-2 ahead of their 2021 full-length Cinema, which earned a Grammy nomination and reached the Billboard 200. Subsequent team-ups with Bad Bunny, Tainy, and Young Miko occupied the ensuing two years as they prepared their next album, the more expansive and introspective Submarine, which climbed from the lower ranks of the U.S. chart into the Top 20 upon its 2024 release.

Zardoya, born in Puerto Rico, and Conway, an L.A. native, first crossed paths at a Laurel Canyon Music Revival event, where she delivered an acoustic performance and he handled sound duties. That encounter sparked both a musical and personal bond that drew the remaining members into orbit. Adding lead guitarist Jesse Perlman, bassist Carter Lee, and keyboardist Edward James allowed the ensemble to craft layered arrangements built around breezy bossa nova grooves, light funk, psych textures, and dreamy pop, first captured on the 2017 Superclean, Vol. 1 EP. Videos evoking vintage Hollywood glamour generated early attention, prompting support tours with Albert Hammond, Jr. and a Coachella appearance, after which Superclean, Vol. 2 arrived in September 2018.

A series of standalone tracks preceded the Marías’ signing with Atlantic and the release of their Grammy-nominated debut album Cinema in 2021, which logged one week at number 176 on the Billboard 200. A prominent turn on Bad Bunny’s chart-topping 2022 album Un Verano Sin Ti broadened their reach, leading into a stretch of 2023 collaborations with Cuco, Eyedress, Tainy, and Young Miko while work continued on their sophomore effort. The resulting Submarine, shaped by personal dissolution and exploring solitude, refined the psychedelic indie rock approach of their early releases; its expanded audience propelled the set to number 17 on the Billboard 200.