Gone is the veil of mist and memory that once draped ‘Knocknarea’; its ghost-lit hills and fog- soft laments fades. In its place are steel and smoke, the hiss of pressure, and the howl of machines. With their new single ‘Look Down On Us’, and the announcement of their debut album, ‘Pain to Power’, Manchester quartet Maruja trade folklore for fury, myth for the noise of the now, and their gaze upward, toward the cold geometry of capital and the architecture of control.
A track they’ve been playing live for the last year, ‘Look Down On Us’ bursts open in a violent exhale, still carrying Maruja’s ever-present tension. Ten minutes of rapture and release, guitars grind and saxophone serrates. Each phrase feels like it’s been clawed from the concrete.
But Maruja, as ever, resists the flatness of rage for rage’s sake, knowing that fury, if left alone, burns out. And so the storm shifts. Midway, the noise thins. Light filters in through the cracks. What began in fire softens into something fragile, almost aching in its beauty. A warmth begins to bloom beneath the rubble, the quiet strength of solidarity, the flicker of something worth holding onto.
In their own words, Maruja explains that, “‘Look Down On Us’ is a reflection of the times we live in. The first half of the song paints a grotesque and vivid picture of the super wealthy and the impact they have on our culture. The second half is about the need to come together in solidarity and embrace love as a wider community, especially in times of oppression. The song ends full circle, arching back to where it began as a reminder to the listener of the struggle from which it came and the struggle that still remains.”
For the past few years, Maruja have been growing, sharpening their sound, their message, and their intent. Now, with their debut album ‘Pain to Power’ on the horizon, they stand before something bold, urgent, and genuinely special, ready to leave their mark.
Photo by Samuel Edwards
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