Album Notes

It can be assumed from Larissa Maestro's last name that her command of music and art is an inherent talent, as a natural love for words and music pervade her debut album, Maybe Later.

As a Filipino-American, Maestro's creative influences stretch beyond the close-knit, upstate New York community where she was raised, reflecting her sense of global awareness and cultured upbringing. Drawing from poetic influences such as Gabriel Garcia Marquez and musical talent like Shania Twain, Ryan Adams, and Aimee Mann, Maestro embodies an amalgam of creative forces.

Traces of country, classical, pop, and rock flow with consistent ease through each of her tracks. Tackling vocals, acoustic and electric guitar and cello, Maestro makes each song her own blend of dainty refinement. Lyrics such as "Been spending the day chasing your face in the snow / I'm just as crazy as the weather," or "Fold me up like an empty paper bag / Fold me up like an old forgotten rag / That silence you give somehow means that you're strong / But you're wrong," allude to a past love gone stale. Instead of angsty vocals accompanied by even angrier bass lines, Maestro takes a more steadfast approach and channels her emotion into lyrical beauty that parallels her band's effective accompaniment.

Consistently placed metaphors demonstrate Maestro's poetic abilities. Her guitar twang, meshed with bursts of poppy vocals, reveals her to be more than just a girl with a Gibson. There is a deliberation in every word and note, evoking a deep appreciation for the soulful foundations of the art behind her craft. - Katherine Bruce, Northeast Performer