Rising alt-pop artist KiNG MALA (AKA Areli Castro) has released her sophomore EP, honey catching season today via Handwritten Records. The nine track EP finds the artist embodying the idea of radical self acceptance and finding a renewed sense of identity and purpose. Listen to it now below.
“I’ve spent the past 24 years coming to terms with who I am, my past, my mental illness, my body, my sexuality, my failures, my wins, my career, my love life and everything in between,” Castro explains. “For me, these songs are about finding a way to love myself through any means necessary.”
Today’s release highlights new track “martyr” with a seductive new music video premiering this afternoon. “Martyr is about a lover of mine that made me feel like I was everything, like I was the beginning and the end of his universe. It’s as simple as that, it’s a song about being adored (as you should be) by the person you love. It’s about being someone’s saint, church and religion.”
To sum up the project, Castro shares “More than just acceptance, I want this EP to be the chronicle of me finding a way to adore every aspect of myself. Every emotion, every experience, every loss, every mistake is a piece of my entirety, and my entirety is everything. I’ve always loved the term ‘you catch more flies with honey than vinegar.’ This is my season of love towards myself and towards everything around me. I am done filling myself with vinegar to try and rid myself of what makes me who I am.. Its honey catching season <3″
KiNG MALA is currently performing these new songs across the US supporting UPSAHL, who is also featured on the EP. A list of remaining tour dates can be found below.
10/14 — Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court
10/16 — Seattle, WA @ Madame Lou’s
10/17 — Vancouver, BC @ Fortune Sound Club
10/18 — Portland, OR @ Hawthorne Theatre
10/21 — Sacramento, CA @ Goldfield
10/22 — Los Angeles, CA @ The Roxy