“Expertly crafted pop songs…It’s a real gem, and it already seems likely that DelaCruz has a big future.” –KLOF MAG
“It’s an EP that rewards careful listening, with the kind of nooks and crannies that only can come from an artist approaching their work with a sense of exploration rather than a paint by numbers fealty to any particular genre or sound. It’s the kind of project that invites multiple listens, and when you check it out you’ll want to make sure that at least once that you listen with headphones.” – THE ALTERNATIVE
“The EP is a work that celebrates restlessness and idiosyncrasy. DelaCruz’s songs are slight and sometimes sparse, yet they are never boring. Her melodies rarely move as expected, darting and drifting atop hypnotic mazes of instrumentation. Some of the record’s most blissful moments come as these tracks’ knotted guitar work resolves into soaring choruses, pivoting between unconventional indie melodicism and clear-eyed pastoral pop songcraft.” –UNDER THE RADAR MAGAZINE
“I gotta say I dig the vibe so far. I’m not sure whether to call it twee rock or indie pop or just straight up indie rock, but the execution is crisp, the emotion is raw, and I find myself enjoying the song every time it comes on.” – INDIE SHUFFLE
“The EP feels grounded, raw, and real—a snapshot of an artist in motion, unafraid to lean into the messiness of creation. It’s an honest, emotionally open debut that leaves you wanting to hear what’s next.” – GOD IS IN THE TV
Audio Antihero is very excited to be working with CIAO MALZ, the NYC-based project from Malia DelaCruz with James Chrisman (Sister.), and Felix Walworth (Told Slant / Florist). If you’d like to say “hi!” to Malia, all her links are here.
Released just 1.5 weeks ago, we’ve been thrilled with the response for the single, which has been put into rotation by KEXP, as well as receiving airplay from BBC 6 Music (New Music Fix), BBC Radio Scotland(Roddy Hart), NPR: WFUV (NY Slice), and found national airplay on Kosmos 93.6 (Fresh Unlimited).
I initially met CIAO MALZ in 2023 via this lovely cover of Frog’s“You Know I’m Down,” and while it’s horrifying to be old enough to release records influenced by the records I’ve released, it’s also a pretty special thing too.
Having returned from hiatus at the end of 2023 for ‘Grog‘ by Frog, and been inundated since with with life changes, an insane pet cockatiel, and Antihero PR campaigns, this new Audio Antihero is a work-in-progress, and adding the first new artist to the label’s roster since 2016 (unless you count the different projects of Ben and Adam Parker), feels really really good.
As ever, if you’d like to potentially review/interview/feature CIAO MALZ then contact me via Antihero PR!
Early Press for CIAO MALZ:
“Expertly crafted pop songs…It already seems likely that DelaCruz has a big future.” – KLOF MAGAZINE
“Over propulsive drumming from Told Slant’s Felix Walworth, DelaCruz laments her ability to “find new ways to disappoint her,” but I’m not sure overcompensation has ever sounded so good.” – THE ALTERNATIVE
“Malia DelaCruz is gearing up to release Safe Then Sorry in early December, and I gotta say I dig the vibe so far. I’m not sure whether to call it twee rock or indie pop or just straight up indie rock, but the execution is crisp, the emotion is raw, and I find myself enjoying the song every time it comes on.” – INDIE SHUFFLE
“The winning combination of voice, lyrical content, and overall atmosphere makes the likes of British indie-folk visionary Richard Dawson a fitting musical comparison for MALZ’s approach as the well-considered stylings of Elliott Smith and Jordana.” – ANALOGUETRASH
“The Ciao Malz sound pairs equal parts upbeat energy and probing introspection to explore themes of identity and love in young life….Lead single ‘Two Feet Tall’ introduces the project to the uninitiated, embodying the release’s unguarded nature with lush textures and a binding sense of forward motion.” – VARIOUS SMALL FLAMES
“CIAO MALZ has also dropped the fiery debut single, “Two Feet Tall,” a breakneck indie rock anthem fueled by frustration.” – HIGHCLOUDS
“It ripples with glistening guitar motifs, twitchy percussion, and bittersweet vocal melodies that bristle with an undercurrent of longing and frustration. It’s a delicious earworm, ripe with glowing homespun melodies that approach tender feelings at a cautious angle.” – GOD IS IN THE TV
We’ve been fortunate to receive a lot of wonderful press and airplay recently courtesy of folk like Post-Trash, WKDU, WIDR, RRR FM, Start-Track, Austin Town Hall, Various Small Flames, For the Rabbits, God Is In The TV, Sweeping the Nation, MP3hugger, and many others.
“It’s a refreshing plea in a world obsessed with irony and curated authenticity…There is an urgency to take care of the people around us, rather than a navel-gazing angst.” – POST TRASH
“My Best Unbeaten Brother triangulates a space between the baritone-led post-punk revival of Alligator, the quirked-up indie pop of Waited Up Til It Was Light, and the math-tinged emo of Charmer. In other words, Pessimistic Pizza is an absolute must-listen.” – THE ALTERNATIVE
“…Laconic vocal delivery against the spiky, agitated riffs that made The Fire Engines 1980’s Postcard Records legends as the tight angularity simply heaves with the best kind of faux jangle.” – JANGLEPOPHUB
“For anyone who’s ever stood at a crossroads, contemplating the leap into the unknown, let this album remind you that your choices are valid, your doubts are shared, and your paths are worth treading with a soundtrack as thoughtful as this one.” – JESSE’S BASEMENT
“The main point to take away from Pessimistic Pizza is that life changes; it has its difficulties, but it also has beautiful moments where we thrive and grow, with every story being different. That’s the beautiful part of being human.” – DISTORTED SOUND MAGAZINE
There’s also a number of great interviews and features with the band on sites and radio stations like Resonance FM, Music N Gear, Abominations, and more:
MAGANA has been continuing to get really excellent press for her recent ‘Teeth‘ album. The first of these that I’d to share is her brilliant interview with Giliann Karon for POST-TRASH:
She was also recently the “Me In 3” guest on BBC RADIO SCOTLAND with Jill O’Sullivan (thanks to Roddy Hart and Richard Bull):
The first new music from the Parker brothers since 2013, it’s a bit of a wild full circle moment for Audio Antihero, since the label was started around Nosferatu D2’s classic debut album back in 2009 (there’s a lovely Public Radio International story about that).
Released on March 25th, it has been wonderful to see so much great press continuing to come in for Magana’s stunning ‘Teeth‘ album. If you haven’t gotten around to it yet, then the following sites have you covered:
Magana’s‘Teeth‘ was the “Record of Note” on BBC Scotland’sRoddy Hart show last night. Roddy played three songs from the album and said a lot of lovely things about it. If you missed it live, you can listen to it via BBC Sounds.
Something extra nice about it was that Roddy and his producer (The Raging Bull) had clearly done their research and pulled some great stuff from the Jeni’s track-by-track feature for The Alternative:
If you’re enjoying Magana-centric radio, then please remember that her session for Leo Gilbert is airing all month long via Dandelion Radio and Mixcloud:
“Lyrically, Magaña visits some stark and dark places, describing it as “witchy rock,” but it all fits so well with her song constructions and her quite warm, subtle voice, making an excellent musical and lyrical contrast, as a cup of hot coffee and cold sparkling water do.”
Magana did a great interview with Firebird Magazine (you might remember them for their brilliant feature withFrog) where they talked ‘Teeth,’ Mitski, and her plans for upcoming ambient and orchestral music releases. Check it out here.
I was also fortunate enough to get to write another guest feature for Various Small Flames, this time reflecting on the memories and music of my time knowing and working with Jeni Magaña. It covers her better-known songs like “Inches Apart,” as well as compilation appearances, her CHUCK and Cloud covers, the pen pin pop project, and her more experimental work. This was a really nice experience for me so I hope you enjoy it too: “You Got Shit to Do: a Magana Restrospective By Audio Antihero Records”
“Feels equally at home in the era of doomy 60s girl pop and the modern age of dreampop and lushly-drawn indie music. Magaña’s vocals exude joy and pain in equal measure…” – Analogue Trash
“‘Teeth’ stands tall as tangible proof of the transformative power of music. With otherworldly melodies, evocative lyrics, and a production style that envelopes the listener, Magana offers a fourteen-track journey of healing and self-discovery.” – Broken 8 Records
“Magana has a dramatic, floating vocal style that puts her in line with a lot of the big “indie folk” acts of today, but it’s her embrace of more adventurous instrumentation that sets Teeth apart from the crowd more than anything else.” – Rosy Overdrive
Well, the worm moon finally shone its brightest, and as such, ‘Teeth‘ must be released. This is Jeni Magaña’s second solo album, and it took some time to get here, with her spending the last few years playing with Mitski (on the road right now, so be sure to wave!), as well as Lady Lamb, and her brilliant new pen pin duo with Emily Moore. I hope, and think, that you’ll find it to have been worth the wait.
Magana debuted through Audio Antihero back in 2016 with the ‘Golden Tongue‘ EP and has made great music since, both as a solo artist and with others, but ‘Teeth’ feels different. It’s a strange and stunning album that aches, lives, breathes, cries, and soars. She described it as “Witchy Rock,” which is pretty perfect.
“Brutally vulnerable and beautifully breathtaking, ‘Teeth’ is as visceral and raw as it is dramatically layered: Magana’s sophomore album is an uncompromisingly intimate and spiritual rock record reckoning with trauma, inner connection, the fragility of the human experience, and what it means to be alive.” – Atwood Magazine
“Out today in conjunction with the full moon, Magana’s Teeth wraps up snapshots from singer Jeni Magaña’s past in a lush and mesmerizing soundscape, each track feeling like an invocation of a particular memory, feeling, or train of thought. Instrumentally, Teeth is a mosaic, with crunchy guitars, airy woodwinds, gorgeous strings, and synths that sound like they were summoned from a different dimension blending together beautifully.” – The Alternative
“There’s such diversity on the whole of Teeth that it feels like Jeni can do no wrong…“Girl in Chains” definitely has this aura of reclaiming power, perhaps alluding to the theme of Teeth and Jeni Magana claiming this musical space as her own.” – Austin Town Hall
“Teeth is a testimony to one’s bravery in facing what they have always feared, and trying to find a way to escape from one’s own isolation.” – KRUI
“Teeth combines acid folk, dream/alt-pop, and a touch of krautrock, all in an attempt to tackle the darkest and most brutally honest aspects of the artist’s life. Each song brings something new and vulnerable to the aching LP, a stunning representation of growth and self-discovery through the lens of a fever dream.” – The Post
“Magana has a dramatic, floating vocal style that puts her in line with a lot of the big “indie folk” acts of today, but it’s her embrace of more adventurous instrumentation that sets ‘Teeth’ apart from the crowd more than anything else.” – Rosy Overdrive
“A strange sound for a strange world, made by an artist determined to use every style available to best communicate their own experience of trying to exist within it.” – Various Small Flames
We’ve been very fortunate to have received such wonderful support for the album so far. I’m really excited that Magana is currently one of Hype Machine’s“Most Posted Artists,” and that “Beside You” reached #1 in their “Popular Now” chart. “Beside You” was even added to Apple Music’s “New in Indie” playlist, which is really cool. Magana’s music deserves these ears.
‘Teeth’ is an album that I think can only get better the deeper you dig, so I’d love for you to accompany your listening with the following:
I’ve also been pretty busy with some other upcoming records and especially Antihero PR. If you haven’t checked these out yet, please dig into some recent features on bedbug (Silent Radio), Frog (NYS Music), and Max Blansjaar (Love Music; Love Life) below!
“Brutally vulnerable and beautifully breathtaking, ‘Teeth’ is as visceral and raw as it is dramatically layered: Magana’s sophomore album is an uncompromisingly intimate and spiritual rock record reckoning with trauma, inner connection, the fragility of the human experience, and what it means to be alive.” – Atwood Magazine
‘Teeth’ is released on Monday the 25th of March and it’s available for pre-order via Bandcamp. Its singles are available on Spotify.
Magana also recently spoke to South London’s Joyzine, which is another great interview worth reading:
There’ll also be a great in-depth interview with Magana on Saturday on the Hello GoodBye Show on London’s legendary Resonance FM. The show airs in London (FM & DAB) and Poland, plus it’ll be available to stream worldwide online. Check the link below for times and details.
Forever busy, Jeni Magaña is back on the road with Mitski now so if you’re going to any of those shows (dates here), please be sure to wave. She also played upright bass on the new single, which you can check out below:
FROG W/ HORSE JUMPER OF LOVE ON MARCH 23RD (FREE, NY):
Frog will be playing a free show with the amazing Horse Jumper of Love on Saturday (March 23rd). It takes place at the Blue Room on the Sarah Lawrence College campus. The event is hosted by the college’s WSLC radio station. Pretty cool.
Frog have released their first live performance film, “Unplugged and Unhinged.” This film by Jarod Walker was released on March 8th via the band’s new Patreon where they will be premiering audio and video recordings of their shows going forward. A free seven-day trial is available.
Frog will also be touring the Northeast (Philadelphia, NYC, Boston/Somerville) this month, tickets and information are available at Songkick and Bands In Town.
Magana – “Break Free” Single Out Now:
Magana’s“Break Free” single is out now – available on Bandcamp, Spotify, etc. It’s taken from her ‘Teeth’ LP which is out on March 25th.
Antihero PR: Max Blansjaar – “Anna Madonna” Single Out Now:
A quick update from the world of Antihero PR, I’m working with Beanie Tapes on the upcoming debut album from Max Blansjaar. ‘False Comforts’ was produced by Katie Von Schleicher and Nate Mendelsohn and will be released on June 21st.
Audio Antihero 