To The World
(And Especially You)
The national selection for Finland in Mundovision ED06.
I am always blown away at how vibrant the domestic music industry in Finland is given the small-ish population. The indie scene especially is just magical - so many talented musicians making incredible art completely on their own terms, collaborating and pushing the envelope constantly. And the most wonderful part - people listen. Some of the biggest names in the country are either signed to indie labels or completely independent, and indie music is regularly uplifted in essentially every music publication and award show.I could never hope to capture this vibrancy with my submissions to fan contests, or even in a selection like this. So i didn't even try.A few tears were shed editing a longlist of over 70 songs down to just 11. Tracks I adore just couldn't fit into a lineup with some others. Painful changes were made, as artists I love and genres I very much so enjoy had to be left out cause they harshed the vibe. In the end, you get a small sampling of songs by some of my absolute favourite indie musicians.11 songs. One goes to Mundovision. The rest I leave for all of you.- Avem <3
The Contestants
A short introduction to each of the competing acts and songs. All indie, all incredible.Links here are to individual songs, links to playlists can be found in their own section or the footer at the end of the page :)
Starting off with something very on brand for my backlog of Finnish submissions to fan contests, Syskofrenia embodies everything quintessential about the Finnish indie scene - playful melodies drawing from a variety of genres, the sound of a band in it for the love of music, and simple, honest lyrics that say so much about the human condition. Pojat on poikia (Boys Will Be Boys) is a bitter and sarcastic exploration of gender roles and biological determinism, with hectic verses and a cathartically upbeat chorus that invite the listener to let go of any social norms limiting their self-expression.
A very serious punkrock band, engineer duo RÄTBOX make noisy vignettes about the wonderful tragedy that is the Finnish experience with post-ironic lyrics about alcoholism, bureaucracy, toxic masculinity and the ways these manifest in daily rituals. Uhkapelejä ja Viron viinaa (Gambling and Estonian Booze) is about the world of ferries to Tallinn and the unfortunately common spectacle of people getting drunk on cheap booze, succumbing to gambler’s fallacy in the slots and getting thrown in the brig for causing disturbances and fighting with security staff.
Debuting her music only last year and already collecting four Emma-nominations and being named YleX Breakthrough Artist of The Year, OLGA was born to be a superstar. Making confidence-boosting pop music with industry titans, OLGA champions equality and empathy while providing the bangers we need to get through tough times. NRO1 BÄMÄ (Number 1 Bad Bitch) is a playfully self-aware overconfidence song, leaning into the pop diva persona to critique directing hate towards successful women because of jealousy and insecurity.
Provocative both sonically and lyrically, Knife Girl has drawn heavy inspiration from PC Music legends like A.G. Cook and SOPHIE for the past few years to become the premiere name in Finnish hyperpop. This cover of THEE Finnish WLW anthem Ihmisten edessä (In Public) fully showcases Knife Girl at her most unrestrained and fearless, transforming the beautifully flowing melodies of the original into a loud and distorted electronic soundscape. This sonic overhaul into something more alternative also reframes the lyrics, challenging the widely palatable representation of queer love in the original to include people still seen as deviant.💙🩷🤍🩷💙
One of the most exciting newcomers on the indie scene, myrtsi makes pouty but playful lo-fi music. The myrtsi philosophy is most apparent on her second single hipit (hippies), which explores loneliness and relying on superstitions and pseudoscience to find hope when the facts don’t give you any reason to stay positive. A lo-fi indie pop song with really fun melodies and some truly joyous fluteplay. Peace and love.
From the small town of Kvevlax in Österbotten, Månskensbonden makes straightforward indie music that breaks out of the “Look, this one is in Finland Swedish!” box. Teaming up with Vasa-based italoduo Georg Marander to introduce some vocoder goodness, Jag åker båt (I’m On a Boat) is a delightfully wistful track about the bizarre world of the ferries between Finland and Sweden. The lyrics focus on passengers’ excessively vulnerable (and presumably failed) attempts to relieve loneliness. While my Swedish is nowhere near fluent, my ear finds the storytelling to be very reminiscent of some great Finnish novels with its matter-of-fact descriptions of daily life, where the desperation, somewhat absurd details and non-judgemental tone leave space for some cathartic humor to bloom.
Familiar to some of you from Eurosky 6, sadboi sweetheart of the nation Antti Autio makes delicate and arresting music with lyricism that cuts deep. While not his most elegant work, my first experience with his music was the harrowing Kaikki hyvin (All is well), a tense and increasingly frantic track that lists through big changes, small details and traumatic events across one's life while constantly assuring the listener that all is well, a sentiment that quickly becomes more difficult to believe - and painfully relatable. If any artist deserves to be shared multiple times, Antti is the one.
What happens when two DnB powerhouses team up? If Moottorisaha (Chainsaw) is anything to go by, you get an unabashedly intense track that won’t take its foot off your neck for a second. Producer-prodigy Riutta goes batshit with chainsaws and foghorn bass, while rapper Nenerchy gives us her signature brat energy. The two truly bring out the most unhinged and loud parts of each other’s sound. The lyrics about acting like an edgy teen are antagonistic and self-aggrandising, but with a sound this nasty they are absolutely secondary.
Any introduction I give Business City really wouldn’t do them justice. They are acid techno legends and Lahti personified. And it's not a party without Seppo Räty Berghainissa (Seppo Räty in Berghain). It is an institution.
Hip-hop collective good boys are dedicated to silly lyricism, good vibes, and pushing against the increasingly formulaic nature of the Finnish rap scene with their largely improvised bars and fresh production. Featuring Sodankylä rap legend Stepa, olotila Garfield (Feeling Like: Garfield) is a humorous hangover song about feeling like the fat orange cat on a Monday, sonically reminiscent of the plethora of somewhat cursed Barenaked Ladies mashups on the internet.
Last song, and it's the only artist not focusing their career on the domestic market. Get ready to experience the blurry, ethereal electronic pop of producer duo Pearly Drops! Drawing on new wave and post-punk sounds, End Credits is about being slowly left out of someone's life. The quintessential Pearly Drops sound with breathy vocals and wonderfully dreamy, cinematic production, this is a song that wants you to just lie back and let the flow take you.
Playlists
Listen to all the entries in full:
TIME TO VOTE!
Voting consists of two components1. Approval voting Award all the songs you liked
3 additional points
Choose as many entries as you like :)2. Ranked voting Rank from favourite
to least favourite
Top 10 awarded points:
12, 10, 8-1Open for the rest of the week (21.9)
(read: until I wake up on Monday 22nd)
LINK TO VOTING FORM
