Hawai'i indie-punk group Aura Bora has made a bold statement with the release of their latest single, "I Wanna," a willful track. Led by Jhune Liwanag, the band taps into the urgency of pop-punk and the grit of indie-rock for a fierce lead single that sets the stage for both resilience and defiance.
The track's punchy guitar chugs and sing-song energy discharge you into an instantaneous whirl of cathartic release. Beneath the surface, it's a breakup song, an anthemic spurning of exes who attempted to shape someone into a version they never wanted to be. Liwanag thinks of it as a declaration about the future, a projection of strength, independence, and the refusal to deny one's true self.
This track does not wallow in heartbreak but turns it into a fuel, a message that life continues not despite pain but because of it. The band, which formed in 2016 and has blossomed into a mouthpiece for rebellion encased in melody, makes its most strident statement yet with "I Wanna." On "I Wanna", Aura Bora reminds us that heartbreak doesn't always have to break you, and it can make you the person you were meant to be.