MAITA Drops 'breakup song x3' From New Album 'want'

MAITA traces the fractures of an on-again, off-again relationship in the honeyed new single “breakup song x3.” Clouded by an underlying desperation, the song details a series of breakups that leave bandleader Maria Maita-Keppeler unable to remember what she wanted from the relationship in the first place. This is the latest track from the Portland indie rock artist’s new album want (July 26, Fluff & Gravy Records), and it was featured this morning at FLOOD. 

‘breakup song x3’ chronicles the dissolution of a single relationship, three times,” explains Maita-Keppeler. “It explores the way the hot and cold nature of an uncertain heart can keep another held in suspense and trying to figure out what went wrong with each separation. I encountered this in the early days of my first relationship: the power imbalance of reaching for somebody who is pulling away. It did wild things to my brain. I ruminated, I second-guessed, I created narrative upon narrative in my head to try to make sense of it all. It was an anxious obsession that, at the end of the day, clouded my understanding of what it was that I actually wanted for myself.” 

Offering a razor’s edge look at desire within the framework of a long-term relationship, want is a stark, arresting image of a place lost in time. The album is full of high highs and low lows – the debut single “girl at the bar” offers a moody rumination on the need to be an object of lust, whereas the follow-up “i used to feel different” delivers a breezy mix of nostalgia and desire. Featuring a woozy swirl of indie rock and melancholy set against the backdrop of a dive bar fever dream, want finds Maita-Keppler coming out on the other side a little battered, but a lot closer to her initial goal: wanting without guilt. 

Led by Japanese-American singer-songwriter Maria Maita-Keppeler, MAITA also features guitarist/producer Matthew Zeltzer as well as multi-instrumentalists Nevada Sowle and Cooper Trail, a bass and drums duo from Moscow, Idaho. The band has released a slew of acclaimed albums, including 2020’s Best Wishes and 2022’s I Just Want To Be Wild For You, garnering praise from NPR Music, FLOOD, Billboard, Line Of Best Fit and SPIN, who hailed Maita-Keppeler’s “ability to present her innermost thoughts so intimately and adroitly that the mundane is made into captivating music.” The band has toured across the US and Europe, garnered featured slots at SXSW and Treefort, and opened for the likes of Mirah, Blind Pilot, Horse Feathers and Typhoon.  

want Tracklist

1. girl at the bar 

2. breakup song x3

3. cold light 

4. ellipsis

5. at a bad time 

6. hotel 

7. waking up at night

8. i used to feel different 

9. violet dream 

10. happy with you 

11. almost nothing, keeps me alive 

12. i don’t want to kill you 

Photo Credit: Tristan Paiige

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