The alt-pop band we all should be listening to on a sunset drive home is most definitely The Marías. The sensual yet vibrant lyrics sung both in English and in Spanish never ceases to nod to the essence of old time movies and sounds.

The band is made up of Puerto-Rican-bred and Atlanta-raised vocalist María and drummer Josh Conway who write the lyrics and produce the music in the confines of their comfy apartment. Their closest friends Jesse Perlman (guitar), Edward James (keys), and Gabe Steiner (trumpet) add the sonic angle, contributing to sound and performance. Their newest album Cinema, set to release in June is inspired by their love of classic films. The Marías gave their fans a taste of what to expect within the album by releasing an alluring single titled “HUSH” paired with a visually stunning abstract music video.

Today they release another single from the album, a sultry yet upbeat track titled “Un Millon”. Flaunt had the opportunity to chat with María about her musical endeavors within the band and the new album we are all waiting to hear.

Start off by telling me a little bit about Cinema and what it's like to have put that together and the inspiration behind it.

Cinema is our debut album, and comes out on June 25th, which we're really excited about, I can't believe it's like almost a month away. We've been working on it for the past, I would say like the past two years. I think the majority of the inspiration came from Josh and I’s relationship. And a lot of sonic inspirations from some of our favorite movies. There’s a couple of motifs that we have throughout the album that were definitely inspired by the concepts in movies. There's a consistent sort of sound throughout. I don't know if you've seen Taxi Driver, but there's this melodic line that just happens throughout the movie, almost like a scene. And so we've incorporated that throughout the album as well.

Do you see the world of film and music colliding? And if so, like, how do they interact?

I definitely see them colliding. And I think we've recognized that from the beginning. And if it wasn't for the world of film and TV, The Marías wouldn't exist. We were born out of writing songs for film and TV pictures. I think like early on, we wrote songs with a visual element in our mind. As I think we've carried that throughout the rest of the music and also the videos as well.

What was the process of putting together these songs that relate to movies for this album?

We watched one of my favorite movies, Talk to Her by Pedro Almodóvar and we've just been watching so many movies, especially during quarantine, and I have a long list of movies to watch and some of my favorites. We were indirectly inspired by the ones that we love. I think especially during quarantine, there was very limited input of inspiration. Because a lot of times, we'll find inspiration by meeting new people or going out, dancing and all of that. But during quarantine, we were like, okay, we need to find a new way to get inspired. And that new way was just sort of diving into people's lives on screen.

What was the message and the vision that you were trying to convey with the new single Hush?

It's basically telling people who have no business giving you any sort of opinion on your life or what you're doing to just back off? Everyone always, you know, has an opinion or might not understand what you're doing, and Hush is just telling them to back off like, look, I got this. I'm doing my thing.

The video is so artistic, and there's some abstract moments. What was it like making that video and putting it together and directing?

It was crazy. We were told we had a week and a half to come up with the idea to find the team, you know, the pre production and post production, everything, we had a week and a half to do everything. And thankfully, we were up for the challenge and a couple of our friends who worked on it were up for the challenge, and we kind of made it happen. But it was a crazy, crazy week and a half. And there were a lot of full days of brainstorming and putting together the shot list. But I'm really happy with how it came out. And it was definitely a labor of love because a lot of energy and heart went into both the pre production and post production, we were involved in sort of every step of the way.

You often incorporate Spanish into your music. What is the significance of this to you and the band and the reasoning behind it?

There's no sort of deep significance of it, I think it's just a part of who I am, I grew up speaking English and Spanish. I speak Spanish in my house and you know, know and am engulfed in both cultures as well. The first song I ever wrote was in Spanish. And then the second thing I wrote was in English, and then it just sort of took off from there. I don't think I could ever see a project that didn't have both languages, because they're just really ingrained in who I am as a person.

What the chemistry is like, between you and the band when you're all making music together?

Josh and I, we write everything in our apartment. And it's mainly Josh and I sort of with the songwriting, and then the rest of the guys come in to play a certain part and then obviously have a huge part in the live show as well. And that’s sort of been our process from day one, and continued on with Cinema. We just record out of like our 200 square foot little apartment that we have. And it's been fun.

What is the process for you and Josh when you make music?

I wish we had a routine. But the truth is, we don't and I so wish that we did. There were times where we were like, okay, we're gonna be in the studio Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. And we were gonna try writing, and we did that for a while, but nothing really came of it. So now I think we've accepted inspiration comes out of the blue, and our favorite songs have happened just out of nowhere.

When do you feel the most invincible?

There's a moment when we're writing a song, where sometimes we'll recognize, okay, this is a song, like we've got something here. That's when I think both Josh and I feel the most invincible, because it's such a rare feeling. We could write a lot of songs, but not every single one gives us that feeling. It only lasts for a little bit, because then once you've recognized you’ve got a song, a part of your left brain kicks in and then you're like, we've got to structure this out and everything. But there's that little time that you know that you've got something that could potentially be special or that feels special. That is unlike any feeling, and I think that's why we continue making music because we just constantly chase that feeling.

When you're not making music, what do you like to do?

I have a dog named Lucy and we go on a lot of walks in the neighborhood. She's a very active dog. And we watch a lot of movies. Recently for my birthday, Josh surprised me, with a theater room. He converted his childhood room into a movie theater since we weren't able to go because they were all closed down. And so he set up the whole thing, a projector and surround sound and everything. He even set up a little concession stand with popcorn.

The band has a very distinct style that translates through what you wear, the visuals in your videos, and the sound of your music. How would you describe the vibe that you go for and the energy that you put into The Marías as a whole?

I'd say like nostalgia. A lot of our influences are just sort of older sounds or movies. And even we thrift a lot of stuff, and I love vintage pieces. I think nostalgia, because when something makes you just feel like your childhood or like a different lifetime, It makes you feel warm. So that's kind of why we gravitate towards those things.

What are you most excited for, as we're hopefully nearing the end of the pandemic?

I am most excited to release this album, because I'm just excited for fans and everyone to hear it. And I'm also very excited about the possibility of playing a show again, it's been a year, and it's been so long. I think we're all craving that. Aside from that, I think I'm really excited about recording the next projects and seeing where that takes us. We've been toying with the idea of recording on location too.

What can your fans look forward to in this upcoming year?

I can't wait to see you. It's been way too long. Way, way, way too long. I don't even know if I remember how to play a show anymore. But I'm just excited to see you and see everyone and to meet everyone. And hopefully hug and be able to just be together.