For My Radio
‘If it’s not you, I don’t want it/
I’ll be there outside your window/
Dressing gown that’s made of crystal
Take a bow and take off my dress
Naked by a sea of orchids.’
A seed has been planted, a tree awaits my soul, to be fully induced by the eerie beauty of nature, through music of my unspoken rhyme…
Maria Zardoya, the woman you are.
More famously known from ‘The Marías’ band, Maria, ventured off into an experimental solo project: to be fully in the moment, and find a musical reset through love and heartbreak, flowered ten tracks in the snowy woods, ‘as ice melted beneath our feet and as we melted in the songs.’.
The album ‘Melt’ is indeed a winter album; it was truly written in the dead of winter in New York with Sam and Luca. It became so metaphorically twisted, revealing the true setting mixed with an essence of longing, love, nature, identity, and intimacy. It’s as if my thoughts were written into poetry that felt so heavy, yet upon listening, became so light to know these feelings exist in the minds of others.
Every song is powerful and magnetic to the ears. To sit and be so in tune with your surroundings, and realize that the natural world has so much to teach us about life and love, were the feelings provoked while curating “Melt,” in the hope that listeners find that lesson within themselves.
In her interview with Vogue, she wondered who she was musically without her past relationship, and what she could make on a journey of self-discovery and reflection. Which powered some of the drive into this album. She brought in Luca Buccellati, who had worked with her on the Marías, “No one Noticed,” and songwriter Sam Evian, which developed “Not the Only One,” which the girlies remember from a while ago.
I love the new musical style, and that she broke off on her own to start this chapter for herself, in hope that listeners can understand and see her in a different way. People always want to create their own narrative, and deem why she would do something apart from her band, the Marías. However, she is an artist, and with art comes living within your story, which can lead to diverse styles and adventures that produce something new and meaningful.
I love “My turn,” I felt it, I heard it, and it was as if I was hearing a story with a beginning and an end. “Swan,” which captures the longing for devotion, finding love that lasts forever, because swans mate for life, and could that be true in our lives? Maria describes it as a love letter to whoever her swan will be.
I also love finding the meaning behind her Spanish songs, because to me, those songs can hold so much truth and emotion.
From “Vueltas.”
Y tú das vueltas en mi mente
Quizás amor no es suficiente
Te vas y te siento tan presente
Porque vivеs en mí
Translated:
And you keep spinning in my mind
Maybe love just isn't enough
You go, and yet I feel you so present
Because you live inside me
She hurts so good, and feels good to drown in her words of quiet longing that doesn’t beg to be understood. The reflection of lingering emotions that will probably never fade, but doesn't bleed anymore. Letting the wounds breathe, and not be bandaided for consistency.
She says it’s her alternate reality, and I want to be a part of its revealing gloom. There is a potential tour being teased, and may God bless me front row.
If you have not listened, I can’t recommend it enough. She says to listen to it in a garden, on a walk, under a tree, eyes closed, allowing the moment to be your own. The beauty of music is the quiet experience that your mind takes you on, to feel and take it as ever it finds you.
Strike Out,
Kaden Horn
Boca Raton
Kaden Horn is a content writer for Strike Magazine, Boca. She is a free-spirited Leo who loves to write humorously, but also in a way that is intentional and meaningful. She thrives in peaceful environments, whether it’s at the beach, working out, or rewatching Vampire Diaries for the 100th time. You can reach her at kaden.horn813@gmail.com, or her Instagram @kadennhunter
