The band is named after its lead singer María Zardoya who was born in Puerto Rico and raised in Atlanta, Georgia. She and her partner Josh Conway, the drummer, met at a show at the Kibitz Room, the bar and music venue inside Canter's Deli in Los Angeles. She was performing on the bill and he was managing the sound, something he had never done before. They began writing almost immediately after meeting, and subsequently began dating. Soon they recruited close friends to join as band members; Edward James on keyboards, and guitarist Jesse Perlman. They were offered an opportunity to make songs for television, which helped them understand the visual and sonic feel that they were striving for, but when it did not materialize, they used their recordings to make an EP, entitled Superclean Vol. I. Vol. I was released in 2017, while its counterpart Vol. II was released in 2018. In 2020–2021, the Marías quietly signed to Atlantic Records. In September 2021, their single "Hush" topped the Billboard Adult Alternative Airplay chart, becoming their first chart-topping single. On November 23, the Recording Academy announced that band's debut album Cinema was nominated for a Grammy Award in the category Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical. In 2022, the band went on tour in promotion of Cinema and opened for Halsey on her Love and Power Tour.