Earia Music Project speak truth to power with "The Weight"

Earia Music Project, based out of British Columbia comprises of musicians Matthew Landry and Sal Mattar. “Earia” in Arabic means ‘to be naked’ which to the artists means “keeping themselves open, unrestricted, and free of limitations” and speaks to the vulnerability that the music project intends to put on display in their work.

No piece of music can be isolated from its context, however the context for Earia Music Project’s latest single “The Weight” is especially important as the track is a response to the genocide currently inflicted by Israel in Gaza. The track is melancholic and has only two elements – the keys that keep tempo and hold the tension and intensity and the bowed strings that flow over it and provide the emotional highs. The sound of the clock ticking that doubles up as percussion occupying the last pre-chorus filled me with a deep sense of sadness which I thought was musically genius. The voice of the lead vocalist is powerful and filled to the brim with emotion as is appropriate for a subject matter this sensitive and urgent.

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Some parts of the lyrics are descriptions of material reality and the uncertainty of life in Gaza reflected in phrases like “barefoot in the streets”, “Oh how we scream throughout the night”, “Come see the lights” and “Will we make it through the night?”. Much of life in Gaza is currently in jeopardy because its people have been systematically denied access to resources and this is reflected in the line “Last sip of water”. The phrase “Hold my hand and I’ll hold yours too” to me spoke to the solidarity and sense of community that feels vital in the moment. Once was a city, now is our grave” was for me a line that moved me immensely. The track ends by taking the Palestinian slogan “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” which marks its territory between the Jordan River and Mediterranean Sea and replaces the last line with “Our hands will be clean” pointing to the innocence of the people in Gaza in the course of history.

Music as information, music as a part of protest, music as a means of self-expression, music as response to the world, music as a means to raise awareness that is easier to spread around than the cautionary tale, Earia Music Project’s “The Weight” covers it all.