KNOCKNAREA EP

Maruja released four mini-albums between 2019 and 2025, including the great Knocknarea EP in 2023 - which bassist Matt Buonaccorsi considers to be the bands actual debut record, because it was the side of our music that we were most passionate about. Maruja are a Manchester-based four-piece who fuse jazz, punk, post-hardcore and experimental chaos into a singular, genre defying sound. Think post-punk meets free jazz, with lyrics - rooted in rap - that are all about the message. Add the hair-raising sonics of ruthless breakbeats, gnarly guitar loops, transcendent sax and flourishes of psychedelic bass, and you have Maruja: this is force-of-nature music, born from a place of spirituality and protest, with a deep four-way friendship at its core. Their triptych of EPs spanning 2023 to 2025 has cemented their status as one of the UKs most exciting new bands. Theyve been selling out increasingly larger venues - most recently Electric Ballroom in London and The Ritz in Manchester - while completing a world tour and performing standout festival sets at Glastonbury, Green Man and ArcTanGent. Selected as artists to watch for 2025 by NME, Clash, Line of Best Fit, DIY, Alt Press and Consequence, Maruja released their full debut album Pain To Power on Music For Nations. Knocknarea is an amazing first project by one of the most promising bands Ive heard in a long time. - NME MAGAZINE