Not for Radio – Melt (2025) Review: Solo projects are uneasy ground. It can be marred with identity crises or feeling like a watered- down edition of what you’re temporarily splintering from. It can also be fantastic and welcomed, but rarely both. In the case of María Zardoya, of the acclaimed quartet The Marías, it is absolutely the latter. An excursion to upstate New York in January of this year catalysed bringing Not for Radio, a fresh solo project, to life. Surrounded by nature with collaborators Sam Evian and Luca Buccellati, Melt materialised quickly and in real time. In short, Melt is stunning. There’s an analogue, in-the-room type tonality to the project, every echo or scratch or vocal inflections cutting through the mix in a way that is melancholic and entrancing. ‘Not the Only One’ may be the cut that summarises ‘Melt’ the best. Zardoya’s performance is effortless. The guitars are woozy, the drum machine repetitive, the Rhodes soft and delicate. ‘Swan’ has a Radiohead quality, with uneven chord changes and manipulated drone beds, as well as a level of controlled crescendo. There are moments where ‘Swan’ feels like it may explode, but just as that is about to come, Zardoya pulls it back in. It’s a dynamic push-and- pull. The closing moment, ‘Slip,’ is haunting. The cracks in Zardoya’s voice, and the single vocal (rather than stacks of harmonies) make for a close and inward performance. There’s something a bit Angelo Badalamenti about ‘Melt’ too. Zardoya feels like she’s world- building, constructing these ten tracks around a specific mood, much like Badalamenti’s work in composing for the screen. Maybe there are touches of Air’s ‘The Virgin Suicides’ soundtrack too. It’s dreamy and tender but gripping and at times tense. Whether it be the synth flourishes on ‘Moment’ or the whirling feedback in the bridge of ‘Back to You’, Zardoya is remarkable at crafting vignettes condensed into four-minute songs. It’s explorative and revealing; the words are exposed, and her singing is raw. Whereas the last The Marías effort, 2024’s ‘Submarine’, was expansive, Not For Radio’s ‘Melt’ is more concise and close-knit. The ten tracks here are wistful and plaintive, with a rich yet refined sonic palette. It’s an exciting new chapter for María Zardoya. Her penchant for downtempo yet evocative songwriting is fully showcased across this album. It’s at times a bit loungey and jazzy, occasionally edges into artier territory, a warm and gentle thread pulled tightly through the track listing. It hops and skips between baroque pop and sixties trademarks, the wistful romanticism spellbinding. But what it is is distinctly María. She’s an artist with endless talent that is clearly obsessed with world-building and experience, and Not For Radio’s ‘Melt’ is an incredible introduction to her solo world. — clashmusic.com Track List: 01. Puddles 02. My Turn 03. Moment 04. Back to You 05. Swan 06. Not the Only One 07. Magnet 08. Vueltas 09. Water On Your Nose 10. Slip Media Report: Genre: dream-pop, indie-pop Origin: Puerto Rico Format: FLAC Format/Info: Free Lossless Audio Codec Bit rate mode: Variable Channel(s): 2 channels Sampling rate: 44.1 KHz Bit depth: 16 bits Compression mode: Lossless Writing library: libFLAC 1.3.0 (UTC 2013-05-26) Note: If you like the music, support the artist