Submarine

LA-based alt-pop quartet The Marías explore pain, isolation, and the strength it takes to get better on their 2024 LP *Submarine*. The album, which follows their 2021 breakthrough debut *CINEMA*, finds the band expanding their sound to include underground dance music, disco, jazz, and more—all while pursuing melodic gold thanks to singer María Zardoya. Take the album’s second track, “Hamptons,” which blends garage drum grooves with whimsical synths and a textural tension that recalls trip-hop pioneers Portishead. Or, on “Real Life,” the group conjures up lounge jazz, managing to practically capture the heavy smoke that often fills those ambiance-heavy rooms. It’s sleek and sexy, a glowing encapsulation of the band’s mission to achieve mood with subtly complex compositions. On “Paranoia,” many of the album’s lyrical themes cohere. Zardoya takes aim at an untrusting lover, illustrating how a communication breakdown can result in total isolation: “Why do you think I have another/When you have always been the one/Your paranoia is annoying/Now all I wanna do is run away.”

Submarine proves that The Maria’s focusing on the tiny details yields one of the most lush, expansive albums of the year.

The Marías struck gold with their 2021 debut album ‘Cinema’, a breakout moment that seemed to contain a unique sound. Synth-infused indie pop with a