Maruja
Biography
Maruja is an English rock band formed in Manchester in 2014. The group consists of Harry Wilkinson (lead vocals, guitar), Joe Carroll (saxophone, vocals), Matt Buonaccorsi (bass), and Jacob Hayes (drums).
The band became known for the EPs "Knocknarea" (2023) and "Connla's Well" (2024), which incorporated elements of post-rock, jazz-rock, and noise rock. Their debut studio album, "Pain to Power", was released in September 2025 and reached number 11 on the UK Vinyl Albums Chart and number 13 on the UK Physical Albums Chart.
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Before the formation of the band, Harry Wilkinson and Matt Buonaccorsi were childhood friends who attended The Manchester College. Alongside guitarist Liam Laurence and an unnamed drummer, they formed Maruja in 2014. The band's name was reportedly inspired by a store sign Wilkinson saw during a family holiday in Spain.
Maruja released their self-titled debut EP in 2016, followed by "Explicit Trickery" in 2017. Between 2017 and 2018, Joe Carroll joined the group as saxophonist, and Jacob Hayes replaced the original drummer. In 2019, the band released their third EP, "Compassion". That same year, Liam Laurence left the band due to creative differences. Following his departure, the band distanced themselves from their earlier releases, stating that the material no longer reflected their musical direction.
In 2020, Maruja released the standalone singles "Tao" and "Rage". In September 2021, it was reported that singer Louis Tomlinson donated £4,000 to the band's GoFundMe campaign after their equipment had been stolen, helping them reach their fundraising target of £6,000.
On 17 March 2023, the band released "Knocknarea", their fourth EP and the first recorded with the revised line-up. The tracks "Blind Spot", "The Tinker", and "Thunder" were released as singles before the EP.
The band announced their fifth EP, "Connla's Well", on 25 March 2024, and released it on 26 April 2024. The EP was preceded by the singles "Zeitgeist", "One Hand Behind the Devil", and "The Invisible Man". The release received positive reviews from music publications and was included in several year-end lists.
On 30 August 2024, Maruja released "The Vault", a collection of six jam sessions recorded between 2021 and 2023, distributed exclusively through YouTube and Bandcamp.
Later in 2024, the band signed with Music for Nations. Their first single released through the label, "Break the Tension", appeared on 3 October 2024.
On 9 May 2025, Maruja announced their debut album, "Pain to Power", which was released on 12 September 2025 through Music for Nations.
Maruja's music has been described as post-rock, post-punk, art rock, jazz-rock, noise rock, and post-hardcore. Critics have also referred to the band's sound as "jazz-punk" due to its combination of aggressive rock instrumentation and jazz influences.
The band has cited artists including Shpongle, Floating Points, Kamasi Washington, Alice Coltrane, and Pharoah Sanders as influences. Wilkinson has named hip-hop artists such as Tupac Shakur, Kendrick Lamar, and Little Simz as influences on his performance style. Buonaccorsi has identified Swans as a major influence on his bass playing.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maruja
Studio albums
Pain to Power (2025)
Biography text from Last.fm, available under CC BY-SA.