María Zardoya is stepping away from the Marías for her next release — and it’s about to get extra personal. On Wednesday, the indie-pop star announced that she’ll release her album Melt, under her solo project, Not for Radio, on Oct. 10.
“My intention with this project was to make music for the love of experimenting, far from home, fully in the moment, open to whatever stream of consciousness unfolded around us,” Zardoya wrote on Instagram. “And that’s exactly what we did in the snowy woods, tucked away, as ice melted beneath our feet and as we melted into the songs. What grew from the melted ice is this album.”
Zardoya recorded the album in January 2025 at Flying Cloud Recordings in upstate New York, working with Sam Evian and Luca Buccellati to make an album that unfolded from unplugging and “immersing themselves in nature and music.” Melt will feature ten tracks, including songs titled “Slip,” “My Turn,” “Magnet,” “Vueltas,” and “Water on Your Nose.” It’s being released via Atlantic Records.
On Instagram, Zardoya wrote: “I’ll cherish those moments forever. It was scary branching out on my own, but I felt so supported, understood, and protected by you.”
Zardoya has been teasing Not for Radio, which she describes as “my alternate reality,” for several months. Back in August, she announced in a voice message shared to Spotify for Not for Radio. “I wanted to explore on my own what it meant to love and to lose. And I keep asking myself the question: Is love worth the pain?” she said at the time. “If there’s a pain that only love can cause — the ache of someone’s absence, of knowing that they once lived there inside your home, tangible and tender — but now reside only inside your memory. What do you think, Is love worth the pain? I’m ready to find out.”
The Not for Radio release follows the Marías’ massive 2024 album Submarine. At the time, Zardoya made clear: “The band will be here forever. I love making music as the Marías, and nothing will ever change that.”
Not For Radio’s Melt Track List
1. “Puddles”
2. “My Turn”
3. “Moment”
4. “Back to You”
5. “Swan”
6. “Not the Only One”
7. “Magnet”
8. “Vueltas”
9. “Water On Your Nose”
10. “Slip”
