If you’ve ever listened to, or been lucky enough to attend a show from, Melbourne outfit The Maggie Pills, then you’d know just how dedicated they are to championing the local music scene. It’s this dedication that has resulted in their latest partnership with Melbourne seltzer company, Malocchio.
First founded by Antonio Marra and Anna Chiera in the midst of lockdowns, their seltzers, creative materials, and love of the local music scene soon took off around Melbourne. “We wanted to create something that was for the alternative, creative culture and live music scene,” Anna said in 2022.
It was in 2022 that The Maggie Pills first collaborated with Malocchio, teaming up for a giveaway alongside their Rip My Heart Out single, and again for their debut album HOPE IS A RISK in 2023. Now they’ve paired again, this time for the video to new single Helena, and a few spinoff ads.
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“We all met at a gig in Cherry Bar a couple of years ago, and became friends almost instantly,” recalls The Maggie Pills vocalist Delfi Sorondo. “They were sponsoring the show with their drinks and it was wonderful to see emerging bands working with emerging and also independent brands!
“This time, the opportunity to shoot a new video with Triana Hernández came about and we knew that Malocchio was working on some promotional material so we had no doubt to team up with them for this special project, and create growth and a fun and different end product for the both of us.”
The partnership between The Maggie Pills and Malocchio was inspired by their status as “givers, go-getters, [and] relentless in their search for good quality products”, and their relentless support of the band since their meeting. “They believe in our project, and we believe in theirs,” notes Delfi.
However, it’s the shared love of music, local creatives, and the fostering of community that has made this partnership so resonant and effectual across the board.
“We share the love for our local scene and we find ourselves enjoying it together more often than not,” adds Delfi. “The sense of community we love so much about Melbourne happens because of people like them, who work hard for their own thing without losing sight of how important it is to support our community, its scene and its artists.”
The slogan for Malocchio’s latest campaign – ‘The Alternative Is Always More Refreshing’ – is also one that resonates with the shared values of The Maggie Pills and Malocchio themselves. As Delfi notes, this very slogan is one that permeates the band’s music, live shows, and general existence.
“All the members of The Maggie Pills and the founders of Malocchio hail from different walks of life,” says Delfi. “Different countries, towns, scenes, experiences… but things like music, art, food and drinks (basically all that is good in life!) have brought us together as friends and now partners.
“In terms of our art, we are certainly an alternative act,” she adds. “The fact that our music cannot be catalogued into one genre is also reflected on our live shows, where there isn’t a punk looking upset and holding a power stance at the front, but a colourful palette of personalities and very, very high energy. It has an unexpected impact in the audience, and that is also always refreshing.”
This refreshing approach to the alternative is also encapsulated in the song Helena, whose video and imagery is intrinsically linked to the campaign itself. “The concept was drawn by the hand of the amazing Triana Hernandez who understands our music and the concepts of our songs in a beautiful way,” explains Delfi.
“It is a song about friendship and we knew we wanted two femmes to represent it, but the speed and energy of the song also reminded us of skate videos from the ‘90s where we many times saw beaches and palm trees in the surroundings,” she adds. “We mixed all that with an elegant picnic/tea party with some Malocchio’s and voilà!”
As Delfi notes, Helena is a song based around friendship, which is a concept that sees the entirety of the campaign come around in a refreshing full-circle moment.
“I think the song and its theme are a great match for this campaign in the sense that sharing food and drinks is, in many cases, a central part of the moments that bring friends together and create new connections,” notes Delfi.
“We have become very close friends with Anna and Tony and for me and Mario, they are like our family here,” she adds. “The theme is perfect for us to work together, and it feels kinda meant to be that this was the song that brought us together in a bigger project.”
With Helena viewed as the “farewell” to their debut album, The Maggie Pills will be launching their new single GOLD on May 10th, before a run of shows which also coincide with writing sessions for their second album, which is ostensibly slated to arrive next year.
If one thing is clear though, it’s that The Maggie Pills’ constant success and well-attended live shows prove that indeed, The Alternative Is Always More Refreshing. Needless to say, teaming up with a company such as Malocchio is one of the most fitting pairings we’ve seen.
Check out Malocchio here.
