Maruja - Pain To Power [LP] Vinyl Record

The extraordinary collection not only confirms the four piece as a creative force of nature but finds a deeply emotional and empathetic band concerned primarily with the power of community, both in the nuclear sense, as a tight knit creative unit, but also as a wider force for social and political change in the age of the individual.  Produced by Samuel W Jones who the band worked with on their three EPs to date.

Maruja believe passionately in the ability of art to empower, heal and unite and have created a body of work with ‘Pain to Power’ that they hope will offer both strength and an emotional release to anyone who is struggling with the impact of years of political turmoil and social isolation.

The first taste of the album is new single ‘Look Down On Us,’ a furious cry against the impact of late-stage capitalism and the wealth of the one percent on global society. This is protest music at its most potent. Thought-provoking, unifying and intensely cathartic, it places the band in the great canon of artists using their art to propel change. Speaking about the single, frontman Harry Wilkinson says:

“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.”

The single arrives with a powerful ten minute video, which starts with the band performing against a backdrop of vivid, expressive brushstrokes, taken from Pain to Power’s artwork by Mikey Thomas before segueing into a section of contemporary dance as the single reaches its midsection of calmer, transcendent jazz.