Hope is a Risk is the mighty debut release from The Maggie Pills, an outfit whose founding members, Argentinian frontwoman Delfi Sorondo and Venezuelan drummer Mario Perez, formed shortly after migrating to Australia.

Mastered by legendary sound engineer Joe Carra (Amyl & The Sniffers, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, Courtney Barnett), and filled with compelling Latin percussions, razor-sharp guitars, fuzzy bass lines, unhinged synths, and gestural vocals, Hope is a Risk masters the intersections between intuitive and mathematical, grunge and pop, gothic and colourful.

“The band was born out of necessity for myself and Delfi to unleash all the feelings we went through when we migrated to Australia but suddenly found ourselves alone in the middle of a global pandemic and the world was falling apart” reflects Perez.

These intimate experiences give profound authenticity to Hope is a Risk as the personal becomes political throughout the album’s themes on global politics. Yet there’s a constant sense of finding resolution amidst the turmoil, with each track providing a carefully curated amount of unhinged catharsis, tension and release as well as a sense of being at peace with itself.

Its own anger constantly seeks light through pop tones, guitar-hero landscapes, and imaginatively built universes inspired by the otherworldly, western films, sci-fi, and William Blake levels of poetic ponderings. After all, The Maggie Pills migrated to Melbourne to take a leap of faith across the pacific ocean and chase their artistic dreams.

“I think this is why the songs we play carry a lot of wrath but also beautiful feelings, because we had to force ourselves to feel hope for our dreams” says Perez.