After seven years of making music with indie-pop band The Marías, lead singer María Zardoya branches off as Not for Radio, a name representing her exasperation with commercial demand and pop hits. In her lush debut “Melt,” Zardoya doesn’t depart far from songs she wrote with The Marías. However, her work here is strikingly intimate, with bold gleams toward her personal relationships. Swept under Zardoya’s haunting tone, listeners are set adrift through the dark voids of the singer’s life — in love and loss, yet always still, in hope.
The album opens with one of its strongest tracks, “Puddles.” A descending keyboard scale accompanies the whole piece, capturing a volatile relationship unraveling within the singer’s muddied memory. The rich ambiance of guitar riffs and synthesizers flourishes with every beat, amplifying the impact of her cautionary lyrics: “Don’t think that love is worth all of the pain.” This fluid instrumental crescendo crisply reflects the pain Zardoya faces in the album as she tries to grasp the value of love. Her yearning spirit conflicts with her fear of what could be lost, a common thematic thread throughout “Melt.”
“Water On Your Nose” is most akin to her work with The Marías. From its vague, romantic lyrics to the psychedelic-soul instrumentation, it’s a precise reflection of the band’s discography, effortlessly carried by Zardoya’s siren-like vocals. The song truly flourishes at the end. Repetition, a device Zardoya returns to repeatedly in her lyrics, adds to the emotional crescendo. She expresses a hopeful sentiment — “I don’t have to try to love you / It comes easy to me” — which is repeated several times until the lyric is a confirmed affirmation, manifesting a love so innate and natural, it almost seems mythical.
Zardoya’s storytelling ability continues to shine in “Not the Only One.” The verses weave together a harrowing love triangle: The singer is trapped in a regretful relationship while harboring feelings for another person. Zardoya’s innate desperation for love in the relationship is directly laid out in destructive lyrics: “This pain, almost made me wanna die.” However, these poignant verses are not supported by an equally strong chorus. A monotonous melody drags through the backtrack like a basic routine. After hearing it for the third time, the song as a whole feels boring.
There are moments where her production feels more redundant than poetic. The album’s fourth track, “Back to You,” a not-so-subtle callback to a single The Marías released earlier this year, “Back to Me,” fails to extend itself creatively past the breezy piano hook. The lackluster production settles the chorus in a middling position, making her repetition seem mindless. Still, Zardoya manages to pack an emotional punch, longing for a love that’s already lost — “I’m wasting time / until I’m yours again.”
Ultimately, Zardoya’s solo debut feels less like a work of distinction and more like a side-project — the album plays more like a momentary peek into the singer’s diary and less like her own personal sound. Still, “Melt” is undeniably full of passion. It serves as a testament to Zardoya’s lyrical prowess, and its dreamy, emotionally infused sound earns many tracks a well-deserved place on any playlist.
Contact Nghi Nguyen at [email protected].