The Los Angeles-based group is the picture of unbothered excellence on the first lead-up to their new album.
It doesn’t matter how cool you are — you’re probably not as cool as The Marías.
The genre-defying group returns with their new single “Hush,” an instant silencer for any crowd. The track, electronically influenced with touches of alt and R&B, is the first single from The Marías’ upcoming album Cinema, set for release in late June.
Anchored by a heavy bass line and an electronic drum machine groove, “Hush” is an epic put-down cloaked by a veil of nonchalance. It’s a direct address to the nuisance who thinks they’re worth a second of the group’s time but is sadly mistaken. “Don’t act so special,” María Reál practically mutters at the onset, her even tone never faltering. Throughout the track, the group is absolutely unbothered, though well-aware of how worked up the subject is over their presence. “Got you running in circles, get your paws of my door,” they dismiss in the chorus with warm synths swimming underneath, the added input clearly unwanted.
The vocal work here is indicative of this ambivalence, never straining or making the extra effort to impress. This choice isn’t one bred of apathy, though, it’s one bred of intention — at this point, what do The Marías have left to prove? 2017’s Superclean, Vol. I EP displayed their knack for blending traditional jazz influences with notes of modern alternative and dreamy pop, the 2018 follow-up Superclean, Vol. II added a classic rock filter to their already-established musical repertoire, and the now-iconic “…baby one more time” cover showed they can keep pace with the best of them, taking a legendary musical moment and making it their own.
The Marías’ past work speaks for itself, but “Hush” is a wonderful footnote in the continuing thesis. The mid-tempo groove makes for the perfect main-character moment, all eyes on the resident cool crusader who really couldn’t care less. But underneath that aloofness is something sinister, a bite just barely masked by the air of indifference. It peeks out in the bridge when Josh Conway drops octave and practically growls at the listener, but it quickly fades when Reál takes back the reins on the final chorus. Brooding and badass, the single fits perfectly within the catalog of chill jams the group’s been turning out since their inception, just with a little more edge.
Check out “Hush” below and catch Cinema June 25th!
