by Philip Moss

At the heart of MAITA’s Best Wishes LP lies Japanese Waitress. Originally written on the back of a serving pad by songwriter, Maria Maita-Keppeler, it’s a hard hitting indie folk tune that summarises the feelings of too many independent musicians who strive to balance a musical career and day to day paid work. But unfortunately, it also encapsulates the feelings of too many women who have to battle with the engrained misogyny and patriarchy that still exists, not only in America, but around the world.

The ability to combine story telling and addictive melody is apparent throughout this debut long player. First single, Can’t Blame a Kid, and the howling chorus of A Beast have real bite in both their lyrics and their guitar tone, while Broken Down Boys shows the other side of the Oregonian’s writing, falling closer to the tone on Japanese Waitress.

Joining the likes of Sleater Kinney and Elliott Smith on the Kill Rock Stars imprint, Best Wishes brings together 90’s alt-rock guitars and addictive melodies, but with its eye firmly on contemporary society. Yet another strong record from a Pacific Northwest based songwriter.

Secret Meeting score: 76

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