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.

The gorgeous “Two Feet Tall” single is out now as a free/pay-what-you-want download, and is streaming everywhere. It’s taken from the December 6th ‘Safe Then Sorry’ EP, which you can pre-order via Bandcamp for $1 and pre-save to your app of choice.

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).

Press has been brilliant too, after initially premiering the single with God Is In the TV, CIAO MALZ has been picked up by sites like Indie Shuffle, The Alternative, HighClouds, KLOF Mag, The Autumn Roses, Loud Women, AnalogueTrash, and Various Small Flames, which has helped her reach the #1 spots in both the “Popular Now” and “Most Posted Artists” charts on Hype Machine.

We’re also really happy with all the new listeners the single has found on Spotify (follow here / stream here), and we’re mad grateful to people like BIRP!, Grimy Goods, KEXP, Indie Shuffle, WFUV, Gunk, One Chord to Another, GRRRL Music, David Dean Burkhart, and many others for helping to make that possible.

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