Last updated: September 13, 2026
What Not For Radio Actually Is
Zardoya announced Not For Radio on Instagram in August 2025, writing: “There are layers to who we all are as individuals, and this is another layer of me, another flower in the garden.” The project is her own distinct artistic outlet, separate from The Marías and fully centered on her vision.
Zardoya told A Rabbit’s Foot that Not For Radio feels “more romantic and connected to nature,” while The Marías carry “this 90s, edgy, Thom Yorke/Radiohead-inspired thing” driven by her bandmates. The two projects live side by side as different sides of the same person.
Is Not For Radio A Band?
This project functions as María Zardoya’s solo venture with no permanent band lineup. Every release and every live performance under the Not For Radio name comes from her creative lead.
The related searches “Not For Radio band members” and “is Not For Radio just Maria” point to the same reality: it is a solo project. Not For Radio exists as its own artistic identity rather than an extension of the band.
The Marías continue in parallel. Zardoya addressed fan fears directly in her announcement post, stating: “Don’t worry, the band will be here forever.”
Why María Zardoya Created Not For Radio
Zardoya began considering a solo project in 2022 after breaking up with Marías drummer and producer Josh Conway, at a moment when the band’s future felt uncertain. The Marías’ 2024 album Submarine reached No. 17 on the Billboard 200 and earned a Grammy Best New Artist nomination. That success gave her the security to step away and explore something more personal.
She told A Rabbit’s Foot that as The Marías grew more mainstream, partly through TikTok, “there was a part of me that didn’t want to go further into that; I wanted to go more inward and against the grain.” She wanted to make songs over four minutes, without obvious internet hooks, and invite listeners to “put on headphones, sit under a tree, and really listen.”
The name itself acts as a statement of intent. Zardoya explained: “Calling the project Not For Radio gave me the confidence to be unconventional, to do a more theatrical production, with people sitting down, and to bring them into a different kind of world.”
The Sound: Trip-Hop, Winter, And Isolation
Tastemakers describes Not For Radio’s sound as keeping the dreamy, slow-pop backbone of The Marías while pushing it into a darker, more unsettling space. The result adds distortion and hypnotic effects and pairs them with a gothic, woodsy visual aesthetic that feels haunting and intimate.
Rolling Stone’s Maya Georgi framed the Melt-to-Bloom arc as a seasonal journey. Melt is a winter album, recorded in upstate New York in the cold, and Bloom is Zardoya “shaking the frost from her winter album and stepping into a sun-soaked garden.” The trip-hop lineage of the project is reinforced by a 2026 remix of the Melt track “Puddles” by British downtempo duo Zero 7, which places Not For Radio firmly in that tradition.
Clash’s James Mellen characterizes Not For Radio as cinematic and vivid, with a tender, romantic quality distinct from The Marías. “Swan,” the fifth track on Melt, offers a strong entry point for newcomers. It anchors the album’s wintry isolation and directly inspired the theatrical staging of the live show.
Melt And Bloom: Releases That Define The Era
Melt arrived on October 10, 2025 via Atlantic Records as a ten-track album recorded in upstate New York with collaborators Sam Evian and Luca (Gianluca) Buccellati. It peaked at No. 13 on the Billboard 200, signaling strong interest in Zardoya’s solo vision.
The record moves through songs like “Puddles,” “My Turn,” “Moment,” and “Swan” in a continuous emotional arc. The full tracklist also includes “Back to You,” “Not the Only One,” “Magnet,” “Vueltas,” “Water On Your Nose,” and “Slip.”
Bloom followed on April 17, 2026 as a surprise “mini EP.” Its three tracks, “Kitten,” “Ache,” and “Living Room,” run about 12 minutes in total and feel like a thaw after Melt‘s winter. Zardoya announced that it would be her last release under the Not For Radio name “for a while.”
Winter In The Garden Tour
The Winter in the Garden tour launched in January 2026 with intimate, multi-night runs and a focus on theatrical storytelling. The production leaned into the project’s wintry mood and nature imagery.
- Oakland, Fox Theater, Jan 6–7
- Chicago, The Auditorium, Jan 10
- Brooklyn, Kings Theatre, Jan 14–15
- San Antonio, Tobin Center, Jan 18–19
- Los Angeles, United Theater, Jan 22–24
The show was structured as a Swan Lake homage. Act I presented Zardoya as a delicate white swan, then Act II shifted into what she described as “grittier, darker black-swan energy” after the white swan’s symbolic death.
The North American theatre run sold out almost instantly, which prompted additional dates. The European leg, billed as the “In The Forest” tour, followed in April 2026 with stops in Milan, Antwerp, London (two nights at Hackney Empire on April 22 and 23), and Paris. A summer U.S. leg then arrived, kicking off July 20, 2026 in Orlando and wrapping August 13 in Seattle. For the most current ticket and date information, check the official artist site.
How Not For Radio Differs From The Marías
The Marías is the band, a four-piece Los Angeles group formed in 2016 by Zardoya, drummer and producer Josh Conway, guitarist Jesse Perlman, and keyboardist Edward James. They earned a Best New Artist nomination at the 68th Annual Grammy Awards in 2026 and are actively developing their third record.
Not For Radio is Zardoya’s solo project and runs alongside the band. She predicted that fans would hear both her solo work and Josh Conway’s upcoming projects and realize, “Oh, this is what makes the Marías sound.” The projects complement each other and highlight different facets of her writing.
This comparison table summarizes the core distinctions.
| Feature | Not For Radio | The Marías |
|---|---|---|
| Project Type | Solo project | Four-piece band |
| Core Releases | Melt (Oct 2025); Bloom EP (Apr 2026) | Cinema (2021); Submarine (2024) |
| Overall Sound | Slow, intimate songs with trip-hop and downtempo influence | 90s-influenced dream pop and psychedelic soul with jazz elements |
Where To Start Listening
This listening order follows the emotional and seasonal arc Zardoya built into Not For Radio. Start with the song that anchors the live show, then move through the full winter-to-spring journey.
- Start With “Swan” – the fifth track on Melt and the sonic and visual anchor of the entire Not For Radio world. It establishes the wintry isolation and the breathy, intimate vocal style that defines the project.
- Listen To Melt Front To Back – the ten-track debut is sequenced as a single emotional arc from opening to close. Listening in order gives the full experience Zardoya designed.
- Move To The Bloom EP – the three-track follow-up (“Kitten,” “Ache,” “Living Room”) functions as a seasonal shift from Melt‘s winter into something warmer and more expansive. Clash’s James Mellen called “Living Room” “a perfect end credits to this brief but celestial first era.”
This sequence mirrors the story of the project: winter first, then the thaw.
The Final Word: Why This Moment Matters
Not For Radio deepens María Zardoya’s body of work instead of repeating what she already built with The Marías. She told Rolling Stone Italia: “Not For Radio is not a temporary experiment or a side project. It is a part of me that exists alongside The Marías, but that is equally real.” With Melt charting and Bloom closing the project’s first era, this chapter marks a turning point in her career.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Not For Radio A Band Or A Solo Project?
Not For Radio is entirely María Zardoya’s solo project. There are no additional permanent band members. Every song, every live performance, and every release under the Not For Radio name originates with Zardoya, working with collaborators she selects on a project basis, most notably producer Sam Evian and instrumentalist Luca (Gianluca) Buccellati on the debut album Melt.
Are The Marías Breaking Up Because Of Not For Radio?
No. Zardoya addressed this directly when she announced Not For Radio in August 2025, writing: “Don’t worry, the band will be here forever.” The Marías received a Best New Artist nomination at the 68th Annual Grammy Awards in 2026 and continue to work on their third record. Josh Conway, the band’s drummer and producer, has also launched his own solo project, and both Zardoya and Conway have described these solo ventures as choices that feed back into the band’s evolution.
What Is The Difference Between The Sound Of Not For Radio And The Marías?
The Marías operate in a 90s-influenced dream pop and psychedelic soul space, with jazz drumming, guitar riffs, and a sound shaped by the whole band’s collective influences. Not For Radio feels darker, more intimate, and more stripped back, with slow tempos, breathy vocals, acoustic guitar, and a trip-hop lineage that Zardoya has described as “green,” nature-inspired, and romantic. Melt was recorded in upstate New York in winter specifically to push her outside the Los Angeles sound she had built with The Marías. The Bloom EP shifts the palette slightly warmer while remaining quieter and more inward-facing than anything The Marías have released.
What Is The Bloom EP And Is It The Last Not For Radio Release?
Bloom is a three-track EP released on April 17, 2026, comprising “Kitten,” “Ache,” and “Living Room,” with a total runtime of approximately 12 minutes. Zardoya announced it as a surprise “mini EP” and stated it would be her last release under the Not For Radio name “for a while,” signaling a pause rather than a permanent end to the project. A limited-edition flower-shaped vinyl version includes the live version of “Comet” debuted on tour, plus a Not For Radio version of The Marías’ hit “No One Noticed.”
Where Can I Find Not For Radio Tour Dates?
The most reliable source for current Not For Radio tour information is the official artist site. As of 2026, Not For Radio has completed the Winter in the Garden North American theatre run (January 2026), the European “In The Forest” leg (April 2026, including London, Milan, Antwerp, and Paris), and a Coachella 2026 appearance. A summer 2026 U.S. leg runs from July 20 in Orlando through August 13 in Seattle. Zardoya has noted on Instagram that she is “not sure when I’ll tour these songs again,” so catching a remaining date is strongly recommended.