Tir na nÓg is the third EP from Manchester’s Maruja. A four track collection, fully improvised and recorded live on 12 September at the New Adelphi Recording Studios at Salford University. Their first release of 2025, it follows their 2024 EP Connla’s Well which Anthony Fantano named his EP of the Year. Indeed 2024 was a pivotal year for Maruja with highlights including playlisted at BBC 6Music, selling out London’s Village Underground, playing Glastonbury for BBC Introducing and headlining a staggering 48 date tour across Europe. The EP, as with Maruja’s previous releases, finds inspiration in ancient Celtic Mythology, an interest rooted in saxophone player Joe Carroll’s Irish heritage:
“Tír na nÓg is a name for the Celtic Otherworld in Irish mythology. The ancient stories about Tír na nÓg can teach us wisdom and lessons still valuable today about growth, love, health, connection and respect. The notion that the tangible world is not the be all and end all is also something we explore sonically when we improvise together, it’s here where we allow ourselves to become vessels to new ideas that present themselves without thought.”
The Irish connection is further reflected in the naming of the tracks, ‘One’, ‘Two’, ‘Three’ and ‘Four’ in Irish. Indeed the music on Tír na nÓg was recorded as one and split into four, hence the naming structure.
On opening track ‘Aon’ Joe Carroll’s saxophone is Eastern-inflected, bringing to mind the mesmerising loops of Sufi music, whilst initially accompanied by haunting guitar riff. The layers of music build, overlapping each other. For those familiar with Maruja’s music this is a different sound altogether and shows their adventurous spirit within their music. Moving into ‘Dó’ the theme in the instrumentation continues but with a cymbal explosion. Here frontman Harry Wilkinson’s voice is akin to a call to prayer. On ‘Tri’ the drum beat leads with the saxophone effortlessly blending in, seeming to then command the slowing pace. The air is heavy with tension and a heightened sense of uncertainty as the soundscape gently warps back and forth. On final track ‘Ceathair’ the off kilter combination of the instruments beats sounds effortless. The echoey haunting guitar hits hard with its emotional pull. The almost imperceptible building of momentum draws the listener in, weaving its magic, until the gentle fade out, but by then the listener is under the spell of Maruja.
Maruja Live Dates
February
28 Fox Cabaret, VANCOUVER
March
1 High Dive, SEATTLE
2 Mississippi Studios, PORTLAND
3 Hult Center, EUGENE
5 Brick & Mortar, SAN FRANCISCO
6 Lodge Room, LOS ANGELES
7 Soda Bar, SAN DIEGO
18 Empty Bottle, CHICAGO
20 The Garrison, TORONTO **SOLD OUT**
22 Market Hotel, NEW YORK **UPGRADED**
23 The Rockwell, BOSTON
25 Union Stage, DC
29 Big Ears Festival, KNOXVILLE
June
14 Outbreak Festival, MANCHESTER
July
10-12 Pohoda Festival, SLOVAKIA
26 Deer Shed Festival, UK
August
21-23 Canela, SPAIN
21-14 Shambala Festival, UK
For more information on Maruja please check their facebook and instagram.
