Maz
At times it seems like Maz has figured out some way to pierce the pop time continuum. The word “timeless” gets thrown around as a sign of quality, but Marley Guevara truly pulls inspiration from everywhere—from Blondie to Santigold to Daft Punk. On her debut EP, NPC (due April 4th via Winspear), the 22-year-old indie pop artist out of the small, out-of-the-way town of Logan, Utah, playfully picks apart growing up, relationships, and self-empowerment across six charming tracks.
Guevara first adopted the Maz moniker as a child, insisting it was meant to be her middle name. As she dug into indie rock as a teenager, it took on added meaning for its connection to Mazzy Star—with her earliest explorations aiming for their trademark ethereal dreaminess. Now the name has come to signify the development of her own sound and world, something indebted to and nostalgically honoring the past but building a new future. “I grew up on early 2000s alternative music, and NPC reaches for that raw, cool, nostalgic sound,” she says. “These songs turn my day-to-day into something badass—a mix of vulnerability and strength.”
That temporal back and forth was echoed in the songs’ construction. Guevara started writing the songs at her apartment in Salt Lake City while attending community college and working full time, but had to return to her hometown for tragic reasons. “I found myself back in Logan, writing songs in my grandmother’s basement when my grandpa died,” she says “during that time I found a lot of solace in music—it gave me freedom to reflect and unpack everything I was feeling. And it made me appreciate the people around me and the opportunities and art I have in store for me in the future. It felt like a refresh button." Guevara’s return to Salt Lake City months later was bittersweet, but bolstered by her deepened connection to her family roots, she tapped into a vibrant, roiling, modern energy in her approach to music, and NPC began to take form.
On lead single “Kiss Kiss Boom”, Guevara toys with the idea of getting back together with an ex, the inevitable re-explosion lingering. Like the Gorillaz meeting Stereolab at the club, she alternates between a laid-back talk-sung verse and falsetto hook over bubbling synths and a shuffling trip-hop beat. The production throughout the EP, courtesy of Bobbing and Cole Williams (part of the production team for fellow indie pop experimentalist Still Woozy), provides Guevara the perfect cushion to vocally flex and explore.
Second single “Too Bad” rides an off-beat electropop groove, Guevara delivering a hushed Debbie Harry-esque lead. Elsewhere, “Wa Oh” taps into a bedroom pop take on her beloved Mazzy Star, “Circle” vents to a higher power in the hopes of avoiding a depressive circle, and “Conundrums” takes a disco journey to ditch worry and embrace her inner child. Decidedly more organic than her first singles, NPC highlights Guevara’s arrival—something that will be on full display on her upcoming tour with fellow rising indie pop act Wallice.
"For me, if my heart isn’t racing at least once during a track, something’s missing," Guevara says. The title track serves as the perfect statement for that mission, focusing on the singer-songwriter’s commitment to understanding herself and owning her potential. Over rippling bass, noir piano tinkles, and wordless harmonies, she picks apart a romance gone wrong. “The term ‘NPC’ was something a few people used to describe one of my exes, who was manipulative and kind of surface level,” she muses. “To me, this song and this project represent my quest to be fully authentic in a world that can feel really confusing. It’s about trusting myself and being strong in the face of manipulation.”
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Maz - Kiss Kiss Boom
Maz - Conundrums
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