Oakland-based artist Maria BC has announced their third album, Marathon, due out February 27 via Sacred Bones. “For this record I decided to spend less time on production and recording and more time on songwriting,” they say. “The result, I think, is more thematically consistent, lyrically speaking, and more concise… I set out to make something more dynamic and varied.” See the cover art and tracklist below.
The first single is the title track, which pairs their ethereal vocals with grungy, noisy backing. “There was a Marathon gas station at the end of the street I lived on as a kid,” they say. “Its big, glowing sign was a landmark for me – when I could see it from the window of my mom’s car, I knew we were about to be home. Its iconic ‘M’ – on the rare occasion I encounter one these days – still brings up that old feeling, the familiarity of homecoming, and a twinge of nostalgia. There’s something perverse about this, I think. The oil company’s branding is, or at least was, exceptionally patriotic, what with its red, white and blue color scheme and idealized Midwestern imagery, all dusty roads, cowboys and wild horses that harken the brand’s slogan, ‘Fueling the American Spirit.’ I once heard someone refer to advertising as ‘satanic poetry’ – I have to agree. That this logo, even with all the evil it connotes, can invoke nostalgia – can be a beacon – is very sinister to me.” Watch the video, directed by F. Saber Sutphin, below.
Maria BC will join their Sacred Bones labelmate Marissa Nadler on tour in February and March, including Kingston’s Tubby’s on February 17 and NYC’s Le Poisson Rouge on February 18. See all dates below.
MARIA BC – MARATHON TRACKLIST
1. Marathon
2. As the earth turns
3. Peacemaking
4. Safety
5. Rare
6. Port authority
7. The sound
8. Sabotage
9. June
10. Night & day
11. May this rain
12. Channels
13. Miami
MARIA BC: 2026 TOUR WITH MARISSA NADLER
2/12 – Asheville, NC @ AyurPrana Listening Room
2/13 – Durham, NC @ The Pinhook
2/14 – Washington, D.C. @ Songbyrd
2/15 – Philadelphia, PA @ Milkboy
2/17 – Kingston, NY @ Tubby’s
2/18 – NYC @ Le Poisson Rouge
2/19 – Providence, RI @ Alchemy
2/20 – Boston, MA @ Arts at the Armory
2/21 – Portland, ME @ Space Gallery
2/22 – Burlington, VT @ Foam
2/24 – Montreal, QC @ Casa del Popolo
2/26 – Toronto, ON @ Sound Garage
2/28 – Chicago, IL @ Sleeping Village
3/1 – Columbus, OH @ Natalie’s Grandview