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Photo: Jade Sadler

KiNG MALA, born Areli Castro, is putting the groove back in the struggle of doing chores with her new track "dirty dishes." Unlike the cheeky confidence she exuded in her previous hit, "she calls me daddy," the singer-songwriter softens her edges to share a vulnerable narrative about putting someone else first.

"dirty dishes" opens with a collection of sunny vocal harmonies, nostalgia-inducing basslines, and bright, ethereal guitar chords. Over the laissez-faire melody, KiNG MALA's breezy vocals dive into semi-dark lyrics that explain she has "Got dirty dishes in my sink / So many filthy memories / I can't even think, don't got it figured out / But you wanna come over now." She then continues to share that she has to fake being in a better place mentally when expecting her love interest,  confessing she feels better when they're around. In the sweet chorus, accompanied by soft keys and intensified instrumentation, she declares that she'll get her life together for the sake of her lover and that she'll "...do some things I have to do / Like call my mom and pay my bills.," and that she, "Might even start to clean my room."

"The day I wrote this song, the line that kept coming to mind was, "I gave you the door code to my apartment.' I was falling for someone new, and I had just given them open access to my life whenever they wanted – which was terrifying," KiNG MALA confesses. "There was something so sad and so beautiful about it. I wasn't willing to take care of myself for me (wash my hair, do my dishes, water my plants), but I was for someone else. This song is about that bittersweet feeling of knowing you don't love yourself, but you love someone else enough to try."

The vibrant accompanying music video, directed by Chelsey d'Adesky, opens on a scene of disarray, specifically KiNG MALA's apartment. With clothes on the floor, half-eaten food, and a slew of disorganized items serving as a literal and metaphorical reflection of the singer's mental state, viewers finally see her sitting in her kitchen, casually eating a slice of watermelon with her dog. The rest of the video slowly zooms in and out of her kitchen as she eats fruit and bobs her head to the perfectly sad/happy track playing in the background.

Last year, KiNG MALA took her crown as "cult leader" after the release of her honey catching season EP. Now, the KiNG is cleaning up her castle to usher in a new era, starting with the "dirty dishes" in her sink.

Watch the "dirty dishes" visualizer" below: