I Drowned In The Grief Of A Golden Thing And King Mala Wrote The Soundtrack
Courtesy of King Mala
Imagine this: It’s a late Thursday night. You’re laying on your living room couch, bored out of your mind. Suddenly, there’s a knock on the door… You open up. You are greeted by an entity with long auburn hair, nearly covering their entire face. Dressed in a white gown. It’s almost like “The Ring”, except instead of being greeted with a seven day warning, you are given what seems to be an offering: A smartphone with an intriguing album, with the play button ready to be hit.
Could this be reality? Minus the theatrics of my imagination, absolutely.
Behold! You have discovered your latest obsession: “And You Who Drowned in the Grief of a Golden Thing,” the debut album from the El Paso born, later LA based alternative pop artist Areli Castro, who is more well known by her alter ego KiNG MALA.
Castro, who has amassed approximately 631k listeners on Spotify, started teasing her project back in November of 2024 when she archived her old posts on her kingmalamusic Instagram account. Shortly after, she posted a night cam video of herself hysterically crying, with the caption “welcome…”
Some were confused. Those who have been following along with her for quite some time were curious. They can sniff out a new project with just a single cryptic message.
The thing that stuck out the most during the teasing period that built up to the album release was a website that gave fans something to decipher. The website domain was the acronym of the album title, and it featured a countdown in all red. The clock counted down like a hourglass running out of sand, and before we knew it, she was here.
Courtesy of @ malamafiaupdates on Instagram
She was birthed with a motive: To captivate the listener, immersing them into the toxic situationship of the deity and the devotee. The most intriguing thing about this album is that it switches between perspectives, illustrating multiple interpretations for the listener to consider while working their way through the storyline.
And you who drowned in the grief of a golden thing…
I: POSSESSION
Starting off with some light distortion, building up until the vocals hit, balancing out in the background as to not overpower the vocals, this is clearly from the deity’s point of view. A clear message to the devote: “I was not delivered for your ultimate peace // I am destruction, I am disease // I am not a lover, I’m a thing to be fed // I am not a prophet, but I am in your head // I am not an object for your aimless affection // this isn’t a lesson, this is possession.”
Despite the upfront warning, the devotee dives in head first.
II: SWEET LAMB
Yet another perspective from the deity. I like to think of this wicked lullaby as a lure, merely waiting for the devotee to take the bait. Wanting to know “What makes you shiver? What makes you sweat?” As if to gain trust from the devotee.
III: GØD
From the deity’s point of view, the devotee is merely a power hungry martyr. Through soft spoken vocals, the devotee is without a doubt being gaslight into thinking they want the world. Without the deity, what good would the devotee be?
IV: SALVATION::VIOLATION
What starts off with an eerie melody, accompanies the sweet, soft, ethereal vocals. In the storyline, it is clear that the deity has gained full control over the devotee, knowing that “If you just ask, I could come, and I could violate you.” Reading into these lyrics, the deity has the devotee right where they want them. In their control.
V: DEVOTION
With a slight upbeat change in tempo, we now hear from the devotee’s perspective. The main takeaway from the devotee’s perspective is codependence and religious trauma rolled up into a splendid package. As stated by the devotee, “I would do anything for love.”
The impression I’m getting is that of someone going above and beyond to please their counterpart, even if the cost of of doing so is sacrificing themself.
VI: FUN!
This is the only song on the album to be confirmed by the artist themselves to feature both points of views. Here we can hear both sides clash as the devotee questions: “Gave to you my body and my love // Kissing in the corner, is it physical enough?”
To which the deity replies: “You wanted in and you’re here now // Isn’t it fun? You’ve got everything you want // Tell me if you need to tap out now.”
The emotion I can feel behind this track is frustration. She’s questioning if what she’s given is enough, and there is some slight passive aggression when asking “isn’t it fun?” After all, she wanted in and now she’s in.
VII: GARDEN
The tone becomes more somber. The start of this track almost sounds like a funeral procession about to start. Transitioning into dreamy harps, with a slightly intense beat building up, but never quite going all the way. The transitions on this track are insane, but all in the best way possible.
VIII: LITTLE DEATH
Ah, our song about lust… desire - the desire to worship something greater than ourselves - or, perhaps, “LITTLE DEATH” is a euphemism for the climax, as KiNG MALA herself confirmed in a reel, she wrote this song about the joys of the female orgasm. Euphemisms aside, this is hands down one of my favorite tracks on the album.
IX: ODE TO A BLACK HOLE
Is this a cry from the devotee? I sense a feeling of despair. I sense an absence of the deity. I can feel a sense of hopelessness wash over the devotee as they cry into the night, hoping for their deity to return.
X: THE GRAND DECAY
From the devotee, this song gives strong implications of the end between our protagonist and antagonist. “A fool to fall in love with a god // I surrender all of my control // as if I ever really had it in the first place”
The feeling of regret and withdrawal is strong on this one.
XI: YOU DON’T KNOW ME
This is the last point of view we get from the deity on this record. I am unsure of who let who go, but from this somber ballad, I pick up the feeling of a great loss. It seems as if the reins of control have slipped through the deity’s grip. Leaving the ball in the devotee’s court.
XII: I STILL FEEL IT IN THE BONE
This is the aftermath. The feeling of shock radiates through the soul, deep in the bone. As someone who has survived traumatic experiences before, the lyric that hits closest to home is “out of sight, in my mind.” Because while the danger might not be present, there’s always going to be that trauma you keep with you… in the devotee’s case, the trauma is fresh.
Overall thoughts
This album is more than just an eerie lullaby with a balanced contrast of sick beats and soothing vocals. It’s storyline is layered with complexity. It’s depths are sure to connect with every listener one way or another. If there’s anything to take away from this listening experience, use it to think about what from the album connects for you.
I truly feel this is one of Castro’s best pieces of art. I cannot wait to see where this journey takes her. For now, you can check out her album out on all streaming platforms.
