Artist: Maruja
Album: Pain To Power
Label: Music For Nations
Link: https://www.marujaofficial.co.uk/#
Style: Punk, Contemporary Jazz
Maruja’s beginnings date back to 2014, when Harry Wilkinson and Matt Buonaccorsi, then still in high school, began making music together. But their sound and style would only take on the trappings of their current productions when they evolved into a quartet, with the arrival of drummer Jacob Haynes and saxophonist Joe Carroll. Largely self-taught, they draw their instrumental mastery from relentless improvisation and having scoured the independent scene. Although they hail from Manchester, they are also close to the new and vibrant London jazz scene.
If Nu Metal refers to the fusion of metal and hip-hop, with Maruja, we could talk about Nu Hardcore or Nu Jazz Rock. Indeed, from the incandescent ‘Bloodsport’, the first track of Pain To Power, the saxophone adds to the punk energy of the guitars, mixed with phrasing reminiscent of aggressive rap, with the rhythm allowing only a few rare moments of calm. Other tracks, on the contrary, display atmospheric and ethereal moods with more hypnotic rhythms and a less aggressive saxophone, while maintaining a healthy dose of non-conformism as their focal point. To convince yourself, listen to the first few minutes of ‘Born To Die’ and the slow crescendo that culminates in a noisy eruption.
Perfectly in keeping with the band’s style, the sound of this album is particularly dense, while avoiding being too compact or rough, largely thanks to the saxophone, which softens the wall created by the guitars and percussion. There is an alternation of passages presenting real bursts of energy, where the impact and dynamics of the sound compete for the foreground with acoustic drones, with moments that allow the listener to better appreciate the timbres of the instruments and follow their progression within floating atmospheres, as in the variations of the track ‘Reconcile’ that closes the album.