Genre(s): Post-Rock, Jazz-Rock
Release Date: August 30th, 2024
My Rating: 4.5/5

Maruja have been my second favorite band for a year and a half now, ever since they released a legendary EP titled "Knocknarea", perhaps the closest a band has ever gotten to re-capturing the unique Jazz-Punk sound of Japanese band Midori. Finally, after almost ten years as a band, Maruja have released their first full album, but not in the way anyone expected them to.

"The Vault" is a collection of six improvised songs from their practice sessions which total about 90 minutes. Stylistically, rather than repeat the manic sounds of Jazz-Punk they've done in the past, the album see-saws between Post-Rock and long-form Jazz. The dissonance between competing musical ideas, the way sounds hypnotically ebb and flow, how you can hear each individual member perform yet eventually come together into a cohesive form, I believe Maruja have captured a small part of the shape of music.

YT Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqg_sVf003Y

YT Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIpCyrBfgis

Not on any other streaming services

Review Date: September 12, 2024
Last Updated: N/A