What made you decide that music is a thing for you?
– I guess it was punk in the beginning. I was 9-years-old or something like that. Picked guitar up at 10 and started to discover more and more about music and playing. It sort of just came to me and I never looked back. Even to this day I’m always finding new interesting stuff that changes my perspective all the time.
Introduce us to you all and your musical history.
– We all come from different musical backgrounds, some of us have studied music in different schools and some of us haven’t. This is the first band for some of us, while others have played in a few bands before. Our background in taste comes from Punk, Jazz, Funk, Alternative, Hip-Hop, Reggae, Rock, Indie etc etc. We all have a sort of different view in music which makes our work productive.
What’s the live music scene like in Helsinki right now? Anyone we should be looking out for (bar you, of course)?
– There’s good bands and artists for sure. The underground scene has its gems. I’d say check out Orvokki, The Mes, Bobomobile, Poni and Orang Pendek. Then again it’s not the “glory days” any more but that goes with every city I guess.
I’ve seen a lot of people struggling for support recently online. What’s your view on the industry?
– Well, I think good stuff should get more support. Personally, I invest my time on making songs rather than doing TikTok. For me the music comes first, then we can struggle to find support. I believe that at the end of the day a good band or song gets noticed somehow through its artistic strength. And for a small band like us, we’ve been approached to collaborate with “scammy” PR-companies that get us nowhere.
Where do you feel you currently sit within the music industry?
– I think we are an undiscovered diamond for sure. We’re not a naive DIY-group but not a wannabe rock star band either.
Tell us two truths and a lie about you.
– We behave well. We play great shows. We eat furniture.
Do you ever worry about people taking things the wrong way or cancel culture? Discuss….
– We don’t think we fit in that category.
Do you sign up to any conspiracy theories? If not, why not?
– Music business is run by the moth man. I’ve seen footage.
What was your best experience on stage?
– The universe was one with us. A cosmic pleasure experience involving everyone at the venue.
What was your worst experience on stage?
– The universe was not there. Old men telling which band we remind them off, in a fever dream style.
Tell us something about each member that you think people would be surprised about.
– Otto collects books and VHS-tapes. Eemi knows about every subject. Elli is the friendliest person in the world. Venla has worked in a museum. Jaakko is a cinema enthusiast.
What are the next steps you plan to take as a band to reach the next level?
– New album with new stuff. Challenge everything in a song. Killing our darlings and moving on.
I hear you have new music. What can you tell us about it?
– Our debut album Background Music For Family Arguments is a 35-minute sonic adventure from post punk to indie dance and beyond. Songs about mental health, fashion, problems, world problems and some fun even, made with a tongue-in-cheek twist and humour. It’s an album for everyone feeling shit or good. We hope it makes your day a bit better.
What was the recording process like?
– 3 days, 10 hour days. A couple of power blackouts. Flu was in the air and hunger crawled in but we made it all through and we can happily say it was worth it. It was mostly recorded live with a few overdubs, our producer made us sound raw.
What was the biggest learning curve in writing the new tunes?
– How to make them compact. How to make them fresh and new. Follow your instinct and let them guide you anywhere.
Would you change anything now it’s finished?
– There is always something little but it is done now. We recorded it pretty quickly so I hope the next album can be done with a bit of a slower phase.
Is there anything else you would like to share with the world?
– Take care and share our stuff! Invite us to your country to play a gig, we have good gigs!
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