It was, as KiNG MALA (aka Areli Castro) put it right at the top, “cold as shit” outside in Toronto. But inside, things were plenty warm, thanks in part to the heating, of course, but also to Castro’s engaging and magnetic performance.
KiNG MALA’s stage banter throughout the night was charming and candid. Introducing “arms length” from her spilt milk EP, she admitted it felt “the most Areli – that’s me, by the way, nice to meet you.” She talked about how so many KiNG MALA tracks feel like the fierce, perfect, and more confident version of herself, but spilt milk was the closest thing to the real person behind the project—mellower, more stripped back, and a little more emotionally honest. That vibe carried over into “dirty dishes,” her ode to frantically cleaning your apartment before a crush comes over. Likely quite relatable content for many in the room.
Still, it was the material from her recent full-length, And You Who Drowned in the Grief of a Golden Thing, that landed with the most force. The album, for all its catchy hooks, has a slightly dark undercurrent – it’s pop music, but, as that somewhat grandiose sounding album title might suggest, it’s pop with a bit more bite. Some highlights off the album which stood out in the live show included “GØD,” “DEVOTION,” and “SALVATION::VIOLATION,” which she introduced by asking the crowd, “Toronto, can I save you?”
A confident and assured performer, KiNG MALA put on a fun show (she literally has a song called “FUN!”), but sometimes even the fun was tinged with something slightly dark and unsettling. And that’s absolutely meant as a compliment.
All in all, Castro delivered a solidly entertaining set. It may have been freezing outside, but inside Adelaide Hall, KiNG MALA made sure no one was left feeling cold.
