Ciao Malz: Two Feet Tall
Brooklyn-based Filipino-American Indie artist CIAO MALZ (Malia Dela Cruz) has announced that her debut EP, ‘Safe Then Sorry,’ will be released via the non-binary-owned Audio Antihero Records (Frog /Magana / Nosferatu D2 / Cloud) on December 6th. The November 15th “Two Feet Tall” single is a first taste of the set, and it sees CIAO MALZ make a warped but glistening entrance for her label debut
“Two Feet Tall is about the feeling of losing an inch every day you put off making that call you reallyneed to make. It’s the pile of clothes growing bigger and feeling yourself getting smaller. Regardless ofthe overcompensation, the mountains to hide behind — that unsettling feeling persists. I wanted toevoke the feeling of stagnation while everything else is in motion, so the lead on this track quivers infront of the persistent drums that push the scene along.” – Malia DelaCruz (CIAO MALZ)
Originally from Connecticut, DelaCruz relocated to New York to attend St. John’s University in Queens,and she soon rented a studio space in the Lower East Side. Here she began experimenting with hersound, while also collaborating and performing with Brooklyn’s acclaimed Sister. trio, but it wasn’tuntil 2021 that she felt ready to begin self-releasing her own recordings under the CIAO MALZ name(pronounced "Chow MaaaahhhLz").
Her music first reached the Audio Antihero label when she issued a cover of Frog’s “You Know I’mDown” sleeper hit in 2023. Impressed with demo material like “Your Winner,” “Always Be My Maybe,”and “Circumstancey,” the label offered to work with her on this debut.
On her most eclectic, complete, and unrestrained work to date, CIAO MALZ takes inspiration fromElliott Smith, Jordana, Jerry Jeff Walker, and Men I Trust to combine an honest introspection, that’sinformed by her experience as a young woman of color, with a layered sonic bounce.
Have a listen and connect with CIAO MALZ:
