The Marías Happily Destroy Us All Over Again With "If Only" and "No One Noticed"
Photo: Bethany Vargas
Continuing to drown in their deep ocean blues, The Marías have officially released "If Only" and “No One Noticed,” leaving fans happily destroyed.
"If Only," the first of the two new singles, is a lovelorn ballad from another world's grand, cinematic feature film. Sparse and haunting, frontwoman María Zardoya's ethereal voice eases us into a waltz through a waking dream. The only other entity that appears in this dreamlike space, beyond a band playing gently just beyond the horizon, is a lone horn that serves only to accentuate the true extent of the heartbreak on display here.
"No One Noticed" is deeply melancholic and atmospheric, which doesn’t stray far from The Marías' usual. Blurring the lines between love and longing, lyrics like “It's getting old (I kind like it if you’d call me) / All alone ('cause I'm so over being lonely) / Maybe I've lost it (I've made a virtual connection) / I have lost it (be my video obsession)” are bone-chilling and brilliant.
A haunting guitar break only deepens the distance felt, as she both begs and threatens to hop on a flight and touch skin with someone she knows she’ll disappear from just as quickly. The song feels like a mocktail of Men I Trust and Radiohead, garnished with a dose of Billie Eilish, who is rumored to potentially have a feature on their upcoming full project.
As the consumer, it’s hard to tell whether the lover pedestalled on “No One Noticed” is real or a digital online of something close enough, though it wouldn’t make much of a difference. The wanting is still insatiable, tapping into any part of your psyche that feels far from its feed.
Slated for release at the end of the month, Submarine is already on track to be their best work yet. The Marías are unequivocally indie royalty, seeming to only heighten in ability while maintaining a deeply human connection with their fanbase. Their music is what leaves us emotionally distraught yet our only source of consolation, and we wouldn’t want it any other way.
Listen to "If Only + No One Noticed" below:
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