Best Wishes

Maita-Keppeler’s bold vulnerability and literate flair is on full display on the quartet’s debut
album, Best Wishes. The album will be out on venerated indie imprint Kill Rock Stars (Elliott
Smith, Sleater-Kinney, the Decemberists) which is a story in itself. Until recently, KRS was
headed up by Portia Sabin, whose husband Slim Moon founded the label. When Portia played MAITA’s record for Slim, who retired from the label 12 years ago, he experienced something of an epiphanic moment.

“My love of MAITA, and my belief in Maria’s songwri­ting, pulled me back into the record business,” Slim affirms.

Maita-Keppeler began experimenting with songwriting while soaking in the indie artists of
the 2000’s such as Bright Eyes and Feist. She related to how these writers interweave reality
and poetry, and resonated with their emotional candor, particularly in light of her tendencies
toward emotional restraint while growing up.

Best Wishes balances ethereal musicality with visceral expressiveness. This juxtaposition is
mirrored in the arrangements through potent use of loud and soft dynamics and in
Maita-Keppeler’s lyrics, which manage to be layered, literate, but also impactfully concise.