Florida native and Los Angeles-based queer indie pop star Caroline Kingsbury returns with a bold new EP, following her most-recent tour with Pom Pom Squad. Inspired by the 1981 musical comedy film of the same name—a cult follow-up to The Rocky Horror Picture Show— Shock Treatment draws on the film’s themes of societal pressure and the blurred lines between reality and fantasy. With her signature fearless style, Kingsbury imagines a world of reverse conversion therapy, where queerness is not only normalized but celebrated, and heterosexuality is marginalized—flipping the script in that’s both thought-provoking and emotionally resonant.

Today, Kingsbury is sharing the EP's first single, also titled "Shock Treatment," a euphoric release reminiscent of Robyn's "Dancing on My Own." Bursting with alluring 80's synth and irresistibly danceable, feel-good energy, "Shock Treatment" blends infectious pop with sharp social commentary—one of Kingsbury’s greatest strengths. Over the pulsing beat, she declares, "I really need to move somebody tonight...even if it's fake love just for an hour or two." In a time of increasing political uncertainty, Shock Treatment arrives as a defiant anthem, embracing joy as a radical act.
While on tour with Pom Pom Squad this past March, Kingsbury waved the Transgender Pride Flag and reminded audiences: “It’s now more important than ever for us to be together, experiencing queer joy.” That spirit pulses through Shock Treatment, and it’s a message she’ll carry across the country this summer.

2024 was a breakout year for Kingsbury, highlighted by her viral hit “Kissing Someone Else”—a collaboration with Justin Tranter (Chappell Roan)—which led to a tenfold increase in her streaming numbers and online following. She also made waves with “Give Me A Sign,” a glittering glam-pop anthem created with fellow retro-pop artist MARIS, which racked up over a million streams in a month and landed on Spotify’s global New Music Friday playlist. Most recently, Kingsbury's "Blurry Now," a fittingly cinematic and ethereal post-breakup ballad was featured in Netflix's Forever, now the No. 1 show on the platform. With the release of Shock Treatment, Kingsbury stands poised to convert the masses.

MARIS first discovered planet Earth in 1999 while traveling through space on an expedition for life, love, and adventure. She hitched a ride on a comet to Los Angeles in 2021 and stayed to become a pop sensation. Her mission: connect with listeners through candid storytelling and an ‘80s-inflected pop universe with danceable beats.

By June 2023, MARIS released her six-song EP, Gravity, and an accompanying short film. From fiery one-night stands in “Was It A Dream?” to the coming-of-age struggle in “outofmydepth” and the turbulence of a “Crashland” into NYC, her songs take listeners on an emotional journey.

She toured Europe with Postmodern Jukebox in 2022 and has since opened for Maude Latour, Melt, Anna Of The North, A R I Z O N A, and The Wrecks, with festival stops at Boston Calling and Missoula Pride.

MARIS released her first collab this spring: “Give Me A Sign” with Caroline Kingsbury. Best experienced live, MARIS ensures all in attendance feel free to be their happiest, truest, and most out-of-this-world selves. Her brand new single "Mary + I" is available everywhere now!