Wilby

Jersey-born Maria Crawford has been paving her way through the Nashville independent music scene since 2014. Now Brooklyn-based, Wilby has evolved from lo-fi beginnings into emotionally raw, expansive rock with sharp, introspective storytelling. Her debut album “Center of Affection” (Oct 10 2025) is a fearless, stream-of-consciousness exploration of self-discovery and vulnerability, where she was able to write her bravest, most beautiful, and strongest effort to date. The magic of Wilby as a band, and Crawford’s songwriting more intimately, is how she takes these very personal and specific feelings and extrapolates them to universal truths, to ideas we all share and struggle with. “Center of Affection” is a snapshot of an artist and person discovering themselves in real time. “I like to think of the album as a coming of age story, a journey of connecting with my younger self and giving my younger self space and validation,” she explains. It’s only through this work that Maria Crawford can grow as her adult self. “I’m in pursuit of trying to connect with my younger self and heal my current one,” she concludes. Produced by Crawford and Andrew Goldring (Olivia Barton, Mini Trees) and mixed by Bennett Littlejohn (Hovvdy, Katy Kirby), “Center of Affection” is a personal reflection of a communal experience.