Hey, super nice to have the chance to chat with you. What have you been up to over the past year in this big old mess?
Lasse: Nice talking to you, thanks! We’ve been writing and finishing our second album mostly, and also producing tracks and remixes for others. Spending a lot of time at the studio.
I’m very interested in how you started your adventure with music, and did you know from the beginning that this is what you wanted to do?
Henna: My whole family are musicians, so music has been a big part of my life since I was a child. For a long time I dreamed of becoming a professional pianist, but realized after a while that what I really want to do is making my own music. I’ve always loved film music and minimalism, and a few years ago I found a passion in electronic music and analog synthesizers.
Lasse: I’ve always been into making art. I started with drawing comics when I was a kid, then got into theater (which I’ve got an education for), then music. I’ve been doing only music for almost 10 years now, so I think I finally found my calling!
Congrats on your new release, ‘Reaching for The Out of Range’. Can you give us some insight into it?
Lasse: We had an album almost finished in mid-2022, but started all over because of a fresh energy from gigs. ‘Reaching for The Out of Range’ is about not being afraid to start over. It’s never too late. Nothing ever goes to waste, even if something doesn’t get released, it still taught you to be a better producer.
Henna: There’s also a music video of ‘Reaching for The Out of Range’, which we made by ourselves. We had a DIY chroma screen and a video synth that reacts to audio, and the video came out wonderfully glitchy.
What are you doing to ensure you continue to grow and develop as an artist?
Lasse: Keeping things fresh. I honestly always have something new I’ve learned in every track. Be it for our own music or someone else’s. I wouldn’t be interested otherwise. I just can’t bear repeating myself! If I’m in an uninspired state, I listen to new music releases, watch YouTube, listen to podcasts, read about science or politics. There’s the inspiration.
What should we expect from your next releases in terms of style and sound? How different are they going to be compared to your previous works?
Henna: Our second album is going to be even more analogue compared to the debut ‘Everything Is In Between’. Our live performances have also had a huge impact on the music, and we are working on getting our live energy on the new tracks as well.
Lasse: We used analogue gear of the debut record as well, but this time I feel we’ve really gotten good at it. Now we develop the sound further, through pedals and other hardware units, before printing it to the computer for mixing.
Where are you based? Can you tell us how the music scene there has inspired your sound at all?
Lasse: We’re based in Helsinki, Finland. It’s an okay base of operations, although it would be a lot easier to travel to international gigs from say, Germany. It’s really really difficult to get gigs here in Finland, because the scene is just so small. There’s only so much you can do. We went to London last Summer, and even though the competition there is really tough, things feel easier and more exciting. There seems to be more opportunities for our niche in the market there.
If you could perform at any venue in the world, where would it be and why?
Lasse: I’ve got to say Tavastia Club here in Helsinki. That’s the main music venue here, the holy grail. I’ve been making music for so long, 14 albums and hundreds of gigs in various bands, but never even set foot on Tavastia’s stage. It’ll happen one day.
Can we expect a new EP or an album from you in the near future?
Henna: Our sophomore album as Pihka Is My Name will be released in September 2023. We’re currently in the heat of the final mix. The record will be quite a musical step for us.
Finally, have you got anything to share regarding upcoming gigs, and what have you got planned for 2023?
Lasse: Before the album release, we have at least two singles and two remixes (other artists’ tunes we’ve remixed) coming, and a lot of really special YouTube content. We’ll also be doing all the gigs we can get! Stay in the loop by following us on socials.
