New Music: Maria Ria – Like an Oyster

Like an Oyster represents a bold and successful artistic gambit for Maria Ria, as well as acting as a calling card for her An Angel Turning Red LP.

Maria Ria is an alter ego for Swiss musician Anna Hirsch, derived from her middle names, conceived as a way for the trained jazz singer to explore the pop side of her creativity. An Angel Turning Red will be her debut album under this name.

Like an Oyster is a dark pop jewel, one where the vocals carry most of the emotional weight and expressiveness; the arrangement keeps to an often-minimal, self-imposed austerity. Ria sings of opening a Pandora’s Box, and it’s her voice, hushed and intense, full of soul, that makes it feel real to the listener. Against an electronic backdrop that is still and unmoving, Ria knows that less is more, both within the world portrayed by Like an Oyster, and at moments where the wrong word or deed can hurt more than the sharpest knife.    

“This is the moment when you are strapped into the roller coaster and you know it is about to start,” says Ria of the song. “You know the G-forces and the free fall are coming. It is exciting but also frightening, and for a second you need a moment to yourself.”

She continues: “There is vulnerability in that moment too: like an open oyster revealing something precious inside, yet flinching at the slightest touch. The gut-wrenching bass reminds me of the butterflies I get in my stomach just before something exciting happens.”

She adds of the album, “You write the songs, but sometimes you only understand them later…you rewrite your own future and reality. The songs keep living, and bit by bit I understand better what I actually meant.”

Like an Oyster is out now on Radicalis Music and is streaming on Spotify and Bandcamp. An Angel Turning Red is due for release in 2027. Get album and artist updates by connecting with Maria Ria on TikTok and Instagram.

Header photo by Matthieu Croizier