A line of concertgoers stretched down Willamette Street, all waiting to be admitted into Sessions Music Hall. Despite the chilling breeze that cut through downtown Eugene, attendees endured the cold for the night’s sold-out show: The Marías.

The show on March 8 was the 26th for the Los Angeles-based, indie-pop band’s 2022 U.S. tour, debuting its latest album “CINEMA.”
The dimly-lit venue is reminiscent of where the band was first conceived — a bar and music venue where vocalist María Zardoya and Josh Conway, the drummer, met, according to an interview with the group from Remezcla. Later joined by guitarist Jesse Perlman and keyboardist Edward James, the band tuned into Zardoya’s Puerto Rican roots. It found a distinct sound in its dynamic Spanish and English lyrics, accompanied by indie guitar riffs, horn embellishments and jazz percussion that transcend singular genres.

The band’s aesthetic makes it just as iconic. Inspired by previous work that the group had done for television and film scores, The Marías developed a cinematic sound and image, according to the band in an interview last year with Alternative Press.

The band’s red and black merch permeated the crowd as fans gathered in front of the main stage, waiting for the show to start.
Opening for the band, Ogi, an emerging soul singer-songwriter from Los Angeles, ignited the crowd with her vibrant stage presence and impressive vocal range, popping off with songs like her debut single, “I Got It.”
The audience simmered down with the next act, Evann McIntosh, who brought their neo-soul, R&B tracks to the stage, all of which were supported by crisp instrumentals from their backing band. People swayed to songs like “Electricity” and “Cocoa Pebbles,” both in which McIntosh elicits emotion through the alternating dynamic of speaking and singing.

Then came the main act of the night. After a brief intermission, the venue’s lights went out, and a voice straight from a 1980s sci-fi flick introduced the group. Red lights lit up the stage in a romantic introduction to “CINEMA”’s beginning interlude “Just a Feeling” as each band member got in their respective position to kick off the show with “Calling U Back.”

The crowd erupted with cheers, and audience members danced to the hip-hop-inspired piece in the crowded, sweltering room. “’Cause you do me like that. Why would you do me like that?” the audience sang along with Zardoya.

The band maintained its energy going into “Un Millón” with a seamless transition between songs — just like a movie cut. The audience belted the exclusively Spanish lyrics, and the reggaeton vibe kept a constant groove.

The set followed an engaging narrative, taking the audience through the melancholic vibes of the hit song, “I Don’t Know You,” and roweling the crowd with articulate trumpet solos on tracks like “Ruthless” and “Care for You.” Touring bassist Doron Zounes tackled the group’s catchy, bedroom-pop basslines, and Gabe Steiner hyped up fans with his horn playing.

But the band’s presence was the cherry on top. Zardoya commanded center stage in her black platforms and white top, and her velvet-like voice carried each lyric to a new plane, despite her mentioning that she felt under the weather.

The stage’s arrangement, with Zardoya in the middle and the other musicians in each corner, made the concert feel straight out of a film, and the changing light colors developed a different feel with each song, with magenta creating a sublime tone during the band’s cover of Britney Spears’ “Baby One More Time,” and the use of white lights to focalize Zardoya during tracks like “Only in my Dreams” set an ethereal scene.

After the band finished its set, the crowd erupted in chants of “encore.” The lights dimmed again, and a red gleam filled the stage another time. Then, a blast of low, movie-trailer-like braams hit, shaking the entire venue. In a dramatic re-entry, the band took the stage and performed “Hush,” a song driven by deep synths and Zardoya’s pop-phrased vocals.
It was a show that not only captivated through the expressive music of The Marías, but it kept you entranced visually — just like a cinema.