Have you ever wanted to yearn over an album at three in the morning? If so, Submarine by The Marías is for you.
Submarine is a fourteen-track album released in 2024, and it explores the themes of solitude and healing. It was released during the breakup between lead singer María Zardoya and drummer/producer Josh Conway.
The most popular song on the album is “No One Noticed”, with 925 million streams overall, which is almost a billion. It peaked at No. 22 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 4 on the Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart. It especially went viral on TikTok, along with the other tracks on the rest of the album.
“No One Noticed” is about Zardoya’s long-term relationship with Conway that had become stale. The lyrics express a subtle heartbreak over her partner not paying attention to her anymore.
This song captures the loneliness and isolation she felt while going through this heartbreak. When Zardoya sings, “It’s getting old,” it captures the “dull” aspect of their relationship.
Later, she laments, “No one tried to read my eyes.” This means that Conway didn’t attempt to understand her and what she was going through. Eventually, Zardoya finds value in the relationship, which causes her to be heartbroken at the fact that it now seems so easy for her partner to leave and move on.
“Sienna” is the second-most-streamed song on the album, with 380 million streams, and it is about Zadoya’s unborn child with Conway. The song is about what their child might have acted and looked like. The title, in particular, refers to what the daughter’s name would’ve been had the relationship between the two not ended.
Zardoya predicts how her child would have acted by singing, “With a temper like you, run around like you. Jumping in the pool, like you. Sing to all her pets in the way I did. Be sensitive like you.” She is ultimately highlighting Conway’s positive qualities.
“Lejos De Ti”, the third most-streamed song on the album, is a Spanish-language track. The lyrics convey a powerful, longing tone. Zardoya reflects on her time with Conway, often yearning for the better moments she shared with him. The Spanish lyrics, along with the soft-rock beat, demonstrate this bittersweet emotion perfectly.
Zardoya sings, “El frío, la noche. Siempre me acuerdo de ti,” which translates to “The cold, the night, I always remember you.” Somehow, Spanish lyrics create a more touching mood compared to English, and it seems as though Zardoya had this in mind as well.
Later, she asks, “¿Por qué estoy lejos de ti? No te olvides de mí,” meaning “Why am I far from you? Don’t forget me.” This shows Zardoya’s frustration and regret for being far away from Conway, and also the good memories associated with him.
“Run Your Mouth” is the only upbeat song on the entire album. This track is Zardoya’s way of pointing out Conway’s flaws and the pain he has caused her. The lively tempo of the song shows the toxicity of their relationship and how Conway constantly overanalyzes and criticizes her. Any argument between the two will always be resolved as Zardoya’s fault and never Conway’s.
She claims, “When we talk about everything that happened. Would rather sit around.” Zardoya suggests that Conway wouldn’t try to fix anything between them, but he would rather just exist in the relationship. She later sings, “You’d just call me out, call me when I’m distant.” This implies that Conway would only be interested in talking through their problems when they were apart, not when she first tried to communicate things effectively.
An honorable mention track is “Real Life”, which has some of the more ungrounded sounds on the album, but it is still one of my favorites. This song made a special appearance on The Rookie Season 7 finale, when the main characters all end up together. The longing for in-person intimacy, versus being in a long-distance relationship, is the central message of the song.
Overall, Submarine by The Marías features a variety of different songs and has something for everyone. From its more upbeat, melancholic songs to its mellow, depressed tracks, they are all about healing and self-discovery. The opening song on the album might give you the idea that it’s an upbeat album, but trust me, it’s an album of pure yearning.
