Julian Laws
A Popular Music (Falmouth University) graduate currently based just outside of Bristol. A voracious reader, meticulous Letterboxd reviewer and lover of all things music. Consistently championing often ignored upcoming artists from Cornwall and the South West music scene to show what amazing talent can be found outside of the big cities!
Art rock pioneers Maruja display furious fragility in latest single ‘Look Down On Us’ ahead of debut album ‘Pain to Power’, out September 12th
Thunderously confident, industrially melodic and particularly pertinent, Maruja have succeeded in creating a 10-minute saga of a song. They pack a punch with every new genre introduced and every spit of rage directed at corporations. ‘Look Down On Us’ challenges, picks a fight, and does not shy away from the stark blinding inequalities people face daily in this world.
The Manchester quintet burst with a completely original sound. ‘Look Down On Us‘ is a vast epic that navigates and guides the listener from chaos and rage into introspective and sensitive thought, underpinned by beautifully serene, yearning jazz accompaniments.
‘Look Down On Us‘‘s first two minutes shocks the listener into a myriad of chaos and into the filth of the super rich. Vocalist, Harry Wilkinson, establishes us in the position of the oppressed; the victim of a capitalist society perpetually being fed “the same old toxic fables” and experiencing first hand the unbalanced world we are living in – “take the food out our hands how much more until we starve?”
Slowly, Joe Carroll’s saxophone blasts like a foghorn and transcends into a jazz melody coupled with expressive and passionate drum parts. Together, they seamlessly take the song from one chapter into another and provide the stage for Wilkinson’s beautifully poetic lyrics.
The song beautifully extends a hand out to the listener and tells us about Love being God, how we should “Be twice the ocean be twice the land” and “To turn pain into power.” It inspires the listener to remain strong, to live with love in their heart despite the hate that surrounds them, and to believe in connection to override individual and systemic evil.
Listen to ‘Look Down On Us’ below:
Catch Maruja at the following:
May 16th – The Great Escape, BRIGHTON
May 23rd – Conpass, OSAKA
May 24th – Club Que, TOKYO
May 27th – YUE Space, BEIJING
May 28th – VAS Livehouse, SHANGHAI
May 29th – 9 Club, HANGZHOU
May 31st – VOX Livehouse, WUHAN
June 1st – B10 Live, GUANGZHAN
June 2nd – OMNI Space, BEIJING
June 8th – Lycabettus Hill Theatre, ATHENS (supporting TV on the Radio)
June 11th – Rock For People Festival, CZECH REPUBLIC
June 12th – Ecosystemic Festival, LATVIA
June 14th – Outbreak Festival, MANCHESTER
July 11th – Pohoda Festival, SLOVAKIA
July 20th – TvSpenta festival, ITALY
July 26th – Deer Shed Festival, YORKSHIRE
August 7th – Ypsigrock Festival, ITALY
August 8th – Haldern Pop Festival, GERMANY
August 9th – Winterthurer Musikfestwochen, SWITZERLAND
August 14th – Paredes de Coura festival, PORTUGAL
August 16th – Lowlands Festival, NETHERLANDS
August 17th – Pukkelpop Festival, BELGIUM
August 21st – Canela Party, SPAIN
August 23rd – Shambala Festival, UK
September 22nd – The Foundry, PHILADELPHIA, PA
September 23rd – The Sinclair, BOSTON, MA
September 25th – Elsewhere, BROOKLYN, NY
September 27th – Concert Hall, TORONTO, ON
September 28th – Thalia Hall, CHICAGO, IL
October 1st – El Rey Theatre, LOS ANGELES, CA
October 2nd – Constellation Room, SANTA ANA, CA
October 3rd – The Independent, SAN FRANCISCO, CA
October 4th – Harlows Starlet Room, SACRAMENTO, CA
October 25th – Electric Bristol, BRISTOL
October 29th – The Garage, GLASGOW
October 31st – Whelan’s, DUBLIN
November 1st – The Limelight 2, BELFAST
November 5th – The Castle & Falcon, BIRMINGHAM
November 7th – The Wardrobe, LEEDS
November 8th – Rescue Rooms, NOTTINGHAM
November 12th – CHALK, BRIGHTON
November 13th – Electric Ballroom, LONDON
November 14th – O2 Ritz, MANCHESTER
November 19th – Botanique Orangerie, BRUSSELS
November 20th – LUXOR, COLOGNE
November 21st – Paradiso Tolhuistuin, AMSTERDAM
November 22nd – Bahnhof Pauli, HAMBURG
November 26th – Hole44, BERLIN
November 28th – Bogen F, ZURICH
November 29th – Santeria Toscana 31, MILAN
December 3rd – M.OU.CO., Porto
December 4th – LAV, Lisbon
December 5th – Copernico, MADRID
December 6th – Sala Apolo, BARCELONA
December 10th – Pannonica, NANTES
December 11th – Le Tetris, LE HAVRE
December 12th – Trabendo, PARIS
Discover more from Clunk Magazine
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
You must be logged in to post a comment.