LUJA MURFI

Writer: Keeley Thompson

Images: Matthew O'Hagan & Luja Murfi

The practice studio glows with a warm, amber light, a womb of creativity for Luja Murfi. 

Seven figures sways within it, some draped in loose button-ups, others in worn t-shirts that hang off their shoulders like loose skin. Their eyes are closed, their heads bobbing gently like seaweed in a gentle current. The individuals move as one, like gears in clockwork keeping time to the nascent song. 

Cushions scattered like fallen leaves mark the space, while the scent of white sage incense and jasmine lingers in the air - an antique vase sits centrally on the crowded coffee table, filled with the morning's floral-finds. 

Empty mugs once filled with chai sit on the mixing desk like miniature monuments to inspiration, sharing space with amber ales planted around bare feet like sentinels. 

The rhythm section begins to steady, the hands of the musical clock slowing to indicate that the song’s time is up.

Then, silence. Eyes open one by one, like spring-time flowers unfurling. 

A shared smile, a nod. "Let's go again?"

Forged in the sun-drenched, salt-waters of South-East Queensland and Northern NSW, Luja Murfi conjures a casual, but highly contagious groove. Much like the space you can imagine them creating in, the band’s output is somewhat of a music chameleon. 

With their tunes providing the space for both joyous rest and warm,  late-night escapades, the collective are as much interior decorators as they are music-makers. 

Made up of Miles Morel, Luke Morel, Jax Fostagic, Luke 'Fish' Johnson, Nathan Roberts, Kyle Aubrey and Mikey Seeff, the group describe themselves as “creating an expansive and evocative sonic voyage, with the intention to evoke, radiate and alleviate their listeners”. 

So sit back (or stand up) and enjoy the ride that Luja Murfi will take you on. 

KEELEY: How did your relationships with music begin and when/how did the band form? Also, where did the name come from?

LUJA: Music has been a big part in most of our upbringings in many different ways. Whether it be influenced through parents and family or through the journey of self discovery & expression or both.

The fellowship began off the back-end of 2019 with four original members (Miles, Luke, Jax, Fish) releasing our 4-track EP in 2020.  Over the years we recruited more friends as our sound expanded and called for more instruments.

Nathan joined us on keys in 2022, Kyle brought the percussive flavours in 2023 & Mikey came into our lives and joined the band on clarinet/saxophone in 2024.

The name came together from the first syllable  of our four founding members given names, forming a new type of pseudonym. As we saw it, the music we were creating together was birthed from the four of us channeling our being into audible form, it felt appropriate to choose a name that speaks for itself, as we hope the music does.

KEELEY: You had a busy 2024! What were some moments from the year gone that you hold dear?

LUJA: There were some great moments in 2024, the best and most memorable would definitely be the recording of our debut album. We spent 9 days at the beautiful Nowave Studio in Mullumbimby, hosted by the owner Julian Abbott.

It was such a great experience being in that environment and being able to polish the songs that we had been performing for quite some time. Breathing new life into the tracks and watching them evolve into something that we are truly proud of.

It is a big accomplishment and achievement to do that as a band and as 7 friends working toward a goal. We are grateful to Julian for making the experience as accommodating and easy going as it was.

KEELEY: What's your creative process like and where do you get inspiration from?

LUJA: The creative process starts with Miles, who writes the majority of the music. He spends so much of his time creating music in his room and has tracks upon tracks upon tracks of incredibly beautiful and diverse music.

For most songs we interpret demo's from Murl and from there we all learn our parts as a whole and allow the song to rewrite itself among our collective presence. They almost always evolve over time and sometimes wildly and refreshingly deviate from the original idea. Once we like where the feeling gets us to, we rehearse until we get it down sounding nice and tight knit.

KEELEY: How do you think the music/arts/creative scene differs in the Gold Coast/Northern NSW compared to major cities? Have you noticed or experienced any challenges and/or Benefits?

LUJA: In the major cities there appears to be more diversity and opportunity of accessible  places to play and audiences to reach, there is a difference in the culture that revolves around live music and the night life of a city.

The Gold Coast and Northern Rivers are home to many incredible talented musicians and artists, a lot of which are putting on their own shows/festivals/events, and that self-empowerment is the driving force behind creating community. 

There are many benefits to this of course, and also challenges. There is a lot of work involved in doing these things yourself, finance being a big reason. For the most part everyone just wants to perform somewhere they can share their craft to an enthused and engaged audience and create memorable experiences through doing so.

KEELEY: Your single "In Circles" came out in November. What's it like reflecting on that a few months on as we've entered the new year?

LUJA: It feels good to release music. That's what it's there for, to be shared and heard! 

Even though in this day and age we can fall to the mercy of the algorithms and get absorbed in finding ways to reach audiences with our sound, there is still always a sense of achievement in releasing our creations into the world and knowing that what we do is within our full authenticity and undeniable love for what we do.

KEELEY: Speaking of singles, tell us about your new single! What's it about? What can we expect and what do you hope listeners get from it?

LUJA: Our newest single 'When' came out on the 7th of January! 

It's the 3rd track off of the upcoming album and a song we all really love. It's the first to feature lead clarinet from Brother Mikey and is a very compelling and captivating song. Originally written by Miles a few years ago, it's about self reflection snapping you out of a state of low-vibrational complacency and setting you towards a more deliberate and concentrated path of existence. 

It's taken many shapes and forms throughout the time it's been performed and evolved into a collaborative piece between us all. We hope our listeners just simply feel into the song and enjoy its compelling nature.

KEELEY: What do you all do in your spare time?

LUJA: We're all mostly laid back individuals, our spare time often revolves around home-life with our pets and loved ones. Much is spent immersed in our crafts & practices, video games or outdoor adventures.

We all live a bit further apart from one another now but we do make time to catch up as often as we can. Fires, feasts and the occasional Magic: The Gathering.

KEELEY: What were your three favourite tunes of 2024?

MURL: It's Behind me Now by Finn Rees

FISH: Life is a Rhythm by Alexander Flood 

JAX: My Love has Green Eyes  by Greg Foat

LUKE: Zenlike Creature by Ozric Tentacles

Other notable local favourite releases are: Miracles by First Beige, Involuntary Soul  by Cakes, Pendulum by Charlie & the Velvet Sky and Carpet Snake By Brain Electric.

KEELEY: What's coming up for you (as people) and as a band in 2025? What can we look forward to?

LUJA: As a band, we're excited to have our forthcoming debut album 'Projections' release on April 3rd! There will also be another single coming out February 20th titled 'Projecting'.

It's been a long time in the making and we are eager to share this body of work. There's no expectations or anticipations once it's released but we can only hope we will be playing a lot more fun and meaningful gigs. We would really love to push ourselves and our sound out there and expand.

A national tour could also be in the works, so be sure to keep your three eyes peeled.

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