Bozeman Magazine

Following MAITA's 2020 debut, Best Wishes, named one of the “50 Albums that Define Oregon” (Portland Monthly), MAITA’s sophomore LP, I Just Want To Be Wild For You, digs into the crippling oxymoron of modernity, the constant bombardment of communication paired with utter disconnection. Released via venerable indie label Kill Rock Stars, I Just Want To Be Wild For You grasps passionately for a world that too often seems at a gauzy distance. Splitting time between her mom’s Japanese-speaking home and her father’s English-speaking home, Maria Maita-Keppeler, who KEXP calls “a master storyteller who can turn intimate moments into quippy, catchy indie-rock songs,” found an expressive avenue out of her childhood shyness through music. The Portland-based songwriter tapped into that grand yet intimate reverence for MAITA’s sophomore album, from the churning twinkle of “Pastel Concrete” to the riotous give-and-take of “Honey, Have I Lost It All?”. In those moments of disconnect, of confusion, of isolation, I Just Want To Be Wild For You thunders ahead, forging unexpected connections along the way. Named the Willamette Week's 2020 "Best New Band," MAITA, the musical vehicle for songwriter Maria Maita-Keppeler has gone on to reach national acclaim, opening for the likes of Mirah, Blind Pilot, Horse Feathers, Typhoon, as well as performing at SXSW and Treefort.