CIAO MALZ’s Malia DelaCruz takes us track-by-track through her candid and colorful debut EP ‘Safe Then Sorry’ – an unfiltered, achingly raw introduction blending bedroom pop’s DIY immediacy with indie folk’s dreamy warmth and wonder.
for fans of Kate Bollinger, fanclubwallet, Skullcrusher
Stream: ‘Safe Then Sorry’ – CIAO MALZ
I wanted the project to feel how it did when I was messing around on GarageBand on my first computer — unrestrained.
CIAO MALZ’s debut EP opens with one of the most relatable emotions out there: Defeat.
“Drinking all the milk and missing all the three pointers,” Malia DelaCruz laments at the start of “Two Feet Tall,” a song about literally and metaphorically falling short. Drums pound an urgent beat, and jangling guitars glide gracefully around her voice as she reflects on how difficult it can be to try hard at something, and fail anyway; to give it your all, only to find that’s not enough.
But you don’t give up; you try anyway, again, and again, and again… all in the hopes of eventually turning your ‘defeat’ into success – whatever that may look like. “I’m holding my breath and making amends to the summit. All cold in the hands, gotta make a new plan to get above it.” Trial and error is a universally human experience; it’s how we learn new things, improve ourselves, and ultimately grow into better people. It’s always easier to remain static and still than to move and to change, but that movement is critical to our betterment – a truth CIAO MALZ uncovers and embraces through four incredibly intimate, honest songs about the ebbs and flows of life itself.
An unfiltered and achingly raw blend of bedroom pop’s DIY immediacy with indie folk’s dreamy warmth and wonder, Safe Then Sorry is a beautifully candid, confessional collection of hard-won life lessons and truths, personal anecdotes and cherished memories. It’s a record of self-reflection and self-discovery that brings us closer to ourselves, all while introducing CIAO MALZ as an exciting new voice in the indie/alternative space.

Drinking all the milk
and missing all the three pointers
Think about it still,
find new ways to disappoint her
Always one thing, after another ain’t it
Always reaching, for the back cupboard
I’ve been feeling two, two feet tall
I’ve already heard, heard it all
I’ve been meaning to, call your bluff
But I can never tell, quite tell you stuff
– “Two Feet Tall,” CIAO MALZ
Released December 6th, 2024 via Audio Antihero, Safe Then Sorry is a gentle giant of vulnerable songwriting and artistic self-expression condensed into just twelve minutes’ time. Following 2022’s To Go demo EP, CIAO MALZ’s ‘official’ debut acts as a powerful look deep into Malia DelaCruz’s creative mind, as well as her sheer humanity – how she, and those around her, go about their days.
The Connecticut-born, Brooklyn-based singer/songwriter (and bassist in the band Sister.) wrote the bulk of this record after work, and credits her day job – the people she’s with, the stories she’s told, the “characters from that world”– as having an outsized impact (consciously and subconsciously) on her lyrics.

“‘Safe Then Sorry’ is a rest stop on the path most traveled,” DelaCruz tells Atwood Magazine. “These songs are about the unlikely connections we make, how they’re simultaneously inexplicable and meaningful. I work through these contradictions with unpredictable melodies, explosive choruses, and with the recording process itself.
“I really wanted to focus on honest songwriting,” she continues. “I tried hard to get to the point instead of blabbing to get to the outro. My vision was to make something that represented me in the place I was. I’ve learned to record by recording myself and others and this was a test of that. As the process went on, I was less worried about the technical process and had fun with it. Having my friends come over and play was a huge part of that. A tear was brought to my eyes as they vouched for the weird parts I thought about deleting.”
“I think [this EP] captures the scrappiness and the passion that I have for making music. I’d like to think of it as a warm introduction, as it demonstrates my compassion and personal interests.”
I feel like Mary Shelley in 1818
Getting bored and do
something extraordinary
Strike the pen to the paper
Making sense of it later
Feeling bad for the bad guy
I’m rooting for the wrong side
Tell me once tell me three times
Feeling bad for the bad guy
– “Bad for the Bad Guy,” CIAO MALZ

DelaCruz describes Safe Then Sorry as realistic, playful, and interesting.
The title itself reads like a cautionary tale, and intentionally so: “I spent too much time in the thesaurus looking for words like stagnant, stationary, and static but I couldn’t love them,” she recalls. “I thought of ‘Safe Then Sorry’ the day I had to tell the label. It was the perfect way to explain my fears about making important choices in life.”
As with all EPs, Safe Then Sorry is best listened to in one full sitting. The journey from “Two Feet Tall” and “Bad for the Bad Guy” to “Take Me Out of Here” and “Gold Rush” is bite-sized, yet full of colorful moments – in the lyrics, in the vocals, in the instrumentation, and in the production – to keep audiences’ captive, undivided attention throughout.
All the boys I loved have moved away
West Virginia, Tokyo and Maine
My heart stays in the same place
I like it that way, but one of these days
Take me out of here
Take it to eleven
Should I cut off my own ear
And I scream it to the heavens
As I watch it disappear
Well I could do whatever
What she say,
Hold on til it all fades away
– “Take Me Out of Here,” CIAO MALZ
“‘Gold Rush’ is my personal favorite off this record,” DelaCruz says. “It has Good Will Hunting references, it’s weird, and it’s true to a real relationship in my life. One of my favorite parts of this record is the backing vocals. I sang them in a really high-pitched, yearny way, but with enough reverb, they stunned me with their beauty.”
Meanwhile, her most cherished lyric on the record goes all the way back to its very beginning. “My favorite lyric from these songs is ‘drinking all the milk and missing all the three-pointers.’ I’ve never drunk milk, so I don’t know if it could have made my bones grow taller.”


Having started in a place of defeat and frustration, Safe Then Sorry concludes with the restless desire to break out of cycles and reject the status quo when it no longer suits us.
“Got no temptation, to sit around have the same conversation,” DelaCruz sings in “Gold Rush.” “Going in circles, going berserk, there’s nothing that I have not heard.” It’s as much about escaping unhealthy, staid patterns, as it is a recognition that we’re not alone in our experiences; that others have been where we’ve been before, and others will no doubt be where we are now.
So take your defeat, and overcome it! Think outside the box, and don’t be afraid to seize the day, go for broke, and take risks. You don’t have to accept unhappiness or live in an endless state of dissatisfaction. Safe Then Sorry‘s biggest message really is about being the change we want to see in our lives – accepting that these kinds of emotional ebbs and flows are as natural, and as normal, as the changing tides, the sunrise and sunset, and so on.
Horse winning all the races
Hair never out of placement
Blushing then you, brush it off
Know the names of your brothers
Marky, Ricky, Danny, Tucker
Laughing cause you know that they’re not
Headed straight for the top and
No they won’t even stop ’em
I went there and they all knew your name
Like the gold rush
How you know stuff
And you know what
Baby, good luck
Got no temptation, to sit around
have the same conversation
Going in circles, going berserk
There’s nothing that I have not heard
– “Gold Rush,” CIAO MALZ
“I hope listeners find it relatable and lighthearted, and I hope they leave wanting to come back!” DelaCruz shares. “The best thing I’ll take away from the process is to just have fun with it and don’t overthink.”
Experience the full record via our below stream, and peek inside CIAO MALZ’s Safe Then Sorry with Atwood Magazine as Malia DelaCruz goes track-by-track through the music and lyrics of her latest EP!
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Stream: ‘Safe Then Sorry’ – CIAO MALZ
:: Inside Safe Then Sorry ::
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Two Feet Tall
This song is about ‘drinking all the milk and missing all the three-pointers.’ Basically, trying really hard at something, but falling short. I’ve put a lot of pressure on myself lately between music, work, and relationships, so I feel like I psych myself out and miss a couple shots here and there. I had this squiggly guitar riff going while watching a New York Liberty game and it turned into the first line,‘drinking all the milk and missing all the three-pointers.’
Bad for the Bad Guy
I had been attempting to read Frankenstein but fell back into the habit of reading the summary. As expected, Mary Shelley was making me feel bad for the bad guy. It’s confusing to feel bad for a monster, but it seems like its been going on for a long time.
Take Me Out of Here
“Take Me Out Of Here” applies to long lines, bars where you can’t get to the bar, restaurant vestibules, and that one time I got caught in a flood on a hike. It’s my 10th year living in NYC and a few of my friends (all the boys I’ve loved) have moved away. The city can really test my patience at times, but I’ve always felt rewarded by not losing it. My favorite movie is Good Will Hunting and the ‘cut off my own ear’ lyric is a tribute to that. This song was the hardest to record because it’s the only song on the EP with rests.
Gold Rush
I wrote “Gold Rush” with one of my ‘unlikely friendships’ in mind. It’s the classic tale of thinking someone has it all and then realizing their life isn’t perfect either. This is my favorite song on the EP, and is coincidentally the song I spent the least time on. It all came together naturally and I hope it comes across that way.
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:: stream/purchase Safe Then Sorry here ::
:: connect with CIAO MALZ here ::
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Stream: ‘Safe Then Sorry’ – CIAO MALZ
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