Maruja discuss spirituality with an understanding reminiscent of the jazz greats of the past, the states of mind achieved by John Coltrane, largely forgotten in discussions about modern music.
To highlight their unique approach to composition, the final offering from the pre-debut album, "Tir na nÓg", is a continuous, fully improvised musical suite divided into four movements. Saxophonist Joe Carroll explains: "When we improvise together, we often enter a state of flow where the perception of time is distorted, with an hour feeling like 10 minutes, for example. It is in these states of mind that the majority of our music is born. We take these improvisations and turn them into songs. It is important for us to show where our music comes from and this track 'Tír na nÓg' is a perfect example of what we do when we improvise together."
The title "Tir na nÓg" comes from Irish mythology and is another tribute to Joe's late father who was from the west coast (the band uses photographs of Joe's great-grandfather and grandfather for the EP artwork). The title means "the land of no age" and is the name of "The Celtic Otherworld": an enchanted place from which all mysticism originates. For the band, this idea is directly related to how they create their music, capturing the feeling of crossing a portal to a higher plane, a world of creativity. In the midst of this mythical place, in Irish tradition, there is a well, which inspired the title of their latest EP: artists drank from it to find inspiration.
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