Ram Jams: The Marías’ ‘CINEMA’
The Marias’ debut album. VIA NICE LIFE
September 17, 2021
Genre: Indie, Psychedelic Soul
On a Playlist With: beabadoobee, Still Woozy, Clairo
The cover of The Marías’ debut album “CINEMA” features lead singer María in a room covered in red velvet. The material is not new to The Marías’ iconography; it’s featured on the covers of both of their earlier works, “Superclean” Vols. 1 and 2. While its presence on the “Superclean” EP covers is limited to certain objects (movie seats on the former, a couch on the latter), on the cover of “CINEMA,” it extends to every border, enveloping and encasing María.
It’s a contrast that translates to the music found in “CINEMA”: whereas their previous works felt as if the band was bringing their red-velvety sound to the outside world, their new LP finds them creating a world of their own. But listeners beware: Upon entering that world, you might find it hard to leave.
No matter how hard leaving may be, though, entering is easy enough. The album begins with the instrumental opener “Just A Feeling,” which features a simple acoustic guitar melody and a beautiful string accompaniment. The soft romance evoked by the brief introduction, however, is immediately subverted by the next track, “Calling U Back,” in which the layered vocals and snarling bass are anything but soft, and the lyrics are more despondent than romantic: “And I’m calling you back, don’t wanna be alone / ’Cause you do me like that, why would you do me like that?”
“Calling U Back” is followed by the lead single “Hush,” which takes the drama of many “Superclean”-era cuts and turns up the dial past ten. Dark synths throb throughout, and María’s vocals are the auditory equivalent of a death stare. The track is essentially an ode to haters, and in moments where the music drops out and María gives out commands like, “Don’t talk so much,” it’s hard to imagine the haters in question having another word to say. The song’s accompanying music video adds another layer of the drama of the track, taking place mostly in a series of slightly unsettling rooms that would make David Lynch an instant fan.
After the intensity of “Calling U Back” and “Hush,” the rest of the album loosens its grip ever so slightly, beginning with the fourth track “All I Really Want Is You.” Here, the band trades the fierce energy of the previous two songs for a more subdued, lush sound. The production, however, is still layered and crisp, as is always the case when the band’s producer/multi-instrumentalist Josh Conway is at the helm.
The track is one of several on “CINEMA” that suggest a deepening of the relationship between María and Conway, who have been together since they started The Marías in 2016. As the title indicates, “All I Really Want Is You” hints at a certain directness that may come from being in a long-term relationship. In a 2020 interview with Metal Magazine, Josh described a transition that occurred in the past, where he would put on different “hats” — “boyfriend hat, business partner hat, writing partner hat, etc.” — to the present, where “it’s all one and the same.” This cohesiveness is reflected on this track which presents a lyrical and sonic clarity that is impressive even for The Marías.
If the first half of “CINEMA” found The Marías refining the amalgamation of influences they cite into their unique brand of psychedelic soul, the second half sees some of these influences shine through a bit more.
None of this is to say that The Marías have strayed away from making songs about strife or unrequited infatuation in favor of sugary ballads about how in love María and Josh are. Following “All I Really Want Is You” is “Hable Con Ella,” a short interlude that reworks the guitar melody of the opening track with a set of forlorn horns. Though no words are sung, the 30-second track conveys a sense of longing and loneliness.
Positioned here in the tracklist, the melancholic interlude complicates some of the lyrics on subsequent tracks “Little by Little” and “Heavy.” On the latter, for example, when María sings “’Cause I don’t want to be in love with another / Even in another life,” it’s unclear whether she makes the assertion because she’s so in love with her partner or because a failed love has left her entirely disillusioned with the thought of it.
If the first half of “CINEMA” found The Marías refining the amalgamation of influences they cite into their unique brand of psychedelic soul, the second half sees some of these influences shine through a bit more. “Un Millón,” the album’s second single, is The Marías’ take on reggaeton, with references to places in Puerto Rico that María would visit growing up. Two tracks later, “The Mice Inside This Room” features breathy vocals, anxious synths and paranoid lyrics that put Maria’s love of Radiohead on full display.
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Even when these influences take center stage, they never steal the spotlight from the band. The entirety of “CINEMA” takes place in that room of red velvet, and new sounds are brought into the room, rather than the band exiting the room to explore them.
While it’s nonetheless exciting to see the band branch out in new directions, they’re still at their best on tracks like the seductive “Spin Me Around” or the wistful “To Say Hello,” when María’s reverb-soaked voice or a swell of synths wash over the listener like a velvety wave. The dreamlike trance induced by these moments is not necessarily new; The Marías have always had an uncanny ability to transport a listener to another place. But it’s especially impressive that songs like these expand upon such ability without rehashing old territory.
The final song on “CINEMA” is its longest, and also serves as the heart of the album despite being placed at its tail end. “Talk to Her” features over three minutes of spoken word poetry by María. The poem is followed by an outro of layered vocals and a fuzzy instrumental that eventually washes out into a few conclusive piano notes. María wrote the poem on tour, and accordingly much of its imagery evokes looking out of a window during a road trip.
What they created in the meantime is a stunning debut album and a project that surely won’t be brushed aside when the lights flicker on and the theater empties.
In the context of an album called “CINEMA,” this imagery contributes to the feeling that the credits are rolling; they’ve left the red velvet room and are moving on to whatever’s next. But what they created in the meantime is a stunning debut album and a project that surely won’t be brushed aside when the lights flicker on and the theater empties.
The Bottom Line: “CINEMA” is a stunning, rich and captivating debut album from The Marías.
The Peaks: “Calling U Back,” “Hush,” “To Say Hello”
The Valleys: None
The Verdict: 8/10
