“Drinking all the milk and missing all the three-pointers … Think about it still, find new ways to disappoint her.” – CIAO MALZ (“Two Feet Tall”)
“Dreamy and smooth…I love the do-it-yourself approach and the introspective take throughout.” – UNHEARD GEMS
“Occasionally my patience leaves the room … Here comes that busted attitude.” – CIAO MALZ (“Take Me Out of Here”)
Brooklyn-based multi-instrumentalist CIAO MALZ (Malia DelaCruz) has announced her debut EP, ‘Safe Then Sorry,’ will be released via Audio Antihero Records (Frog / Magana / Nosferatu D2 / Cloud) on December 6th. It will be preceded by the free/pay-what-you-want “Two Feet Tall” single on November 15th.
After relocating from Connecticut to New York, DelaCruz rented a studio space in the Lower East Side. Here she began collaborating and performing with Brooklyn’s acclaimed Sister. trio, before she started self-releasing her own recordings under the CIAO MALZ name in 2021.
Her music first reached the non-binary-owned Audio Antihero label when she issued a cover of Frog’s “You Know I’m Down” sleeper hit in 2023. Impressed with demo material like “Your Winner,” “Always Be My Maybe,” and “Circumstancey,” the label offered to work with her on this debut.
On her most eclectic, complete, and unrestrained work to date, CIAO MALZ takes inspiration from artists like Elliott Smith, Jerry Jeff Walker, and Men I Trust to combine an honest introspection, that’s informed by her experience as a young woman of color, with a layered sonic bounce.
This debut EP ranges from breakneck Indie Rock frustration (“Two Feet Tall”) to ‘Frankenstein’-referencing Alt. Country (“Bad for the Bad Guy”) and aching Dreamy Folk Pop (“Take Me Out of Here” / “Gold Rush”).
Spotify Pre-Saves: Single | EP
“Safe Then Sorry is a rest stop on the path most traveled. I wrote the bulk of the EP after work, these stories and characters came to me subconsciously and asked to be spoken into existence. These songs are about the unlikely connections we make, how they’re simultaneously inexplicable and meaningful. I work through these contradictions with unpredictable melodies, explosive choruses, and with the recording process itself.
“We did everything on the fly to capture as much raw emotion as could fit in the four walls of the basement studio. I wanted the project to feel how it did when I was messing around on GarageBand on my first computer — unrestrained.“ – Malia DelaCruz (CIAO MALZ)
Genre: Indie / Indie Pop / Bedroom Pop / Indie Folk / Dream Pop / Alt. Country
FFO: Jordana / Girl in Red / MJ Lenderman / Slow Pulp / Indigo De Souza / Clairo
Influences: Frog / Men I Trust / Elliott Smith / Jerry Jeff Walker
Social Media:
Linktree | Instagram | Twitter/X | Facebook | Bandcamp | Spotify | YouTube | TikTok
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