How The Marías Made It with SoundBetter

March 24, 2021

For the LA-based indie-pop band finding mixer/producer Brent Kolatalo, via music-talent platform SoundBetter, was the final piece of the puzzle.

Every artist has been there: You’re toiling away on a track, bouncing between half a dozen different iterations, too many layers to count, you’ve lost all perspective. Sometimes you just need the outside perspective of someone you trust.

That was definitely the case with drummer Josh Conway and singer María Zardoya when working on the songs that would make up their first EPs Superclean, Vol. I and Superclean, Vol II. The pair first met back in 2016 at LA’s Kibitz Room at Canter’s Deli — Josh stepped in one night to do María’s live sound as a favor for a friend — and a creative and romantic partnership blossomed soon after.

The duo started off trying to write for syncs, their songs a gauzy wash of synths, louche bass grooves, and María’s dreamy bilingual vocals (she hails originally from Puerto Rico). But their compositions quickly evolved into standalone songs that truly meant more to them than a potential placement.

Nevertheless, they needed some help getting those songs across the finish line. As an independent band they wound up turning to music talent platform SoundBetter as a resource. Enter Brent Kolatalo, whose credits include work with Kendrick, Kanye, Drake, Taylor Swift, Lorde, and hundreds of artists he has worked with through SoundBetter.

Watch the video above to find out more about The Marías’ journey with Brent. Also check out more SoundBetter stories including how SoundBetter expanded dream-pop band Yumi Zouma’s sonic horizons, and how Minnesota artist Michael Shynes made it big with Polish electronic group Komodo after connecting on the platform.

Watch season one of How They Made It, which focuses on Spotify playlist pitching, featuring Dreezy, Wiki, and Conner Youngblood.

Spotify for Artists helps you to develop the fanbase you need to reach your goals.

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