https://www.high-endrolex.com/18

Horte Premiere “Ilman Nurkka”; Maa Antaa Yön Vaientaa out Aug. 27

horte

The second full-length from Finland’s Horte, titled Maa Antaa Yön Vaientaa, is set to release on Aug. 27 through Pelagic Records. The four-piece bear some at-least-tertiary relation to outfits like Dark Buddha Rising and Oranssi Pazuzu — the acclaimed ‘Waste of Space’ collective in Tampere — but explore textures vastly different from those dark and/or blown-out confines. Combining spaciousness and intimacy amid washes of psychedelia and indie-style electronics, organic drums, bass and guitar meeting with synthesizer beats all behind the flowing melodies of vocalist Riika, the almost-humble 36-minute follow-up to Horte‘s 2017 self-titled debut is sweetly-colored in its post-rocking patience, making each wavelength count as different elements intertwine on opener “Pelko Karistaa Järjen” or the soon to follow side A pair of “Kilpemme” and “Valoa on Liika,” the last of skirts the line of minimalism only because it’s so quiet, but is deceptively rich in its layered depths, the central beat looping more like a found-sound than something purposefully conjured from a keyboard or MIDI bank, and though it’s among the more rhythmically active cuts on the album, “Ilman Nurkka” (premiering below) holds to the central vibe, melancholic despite my ignorance of the Finnish language, but exploratory and beautiful.

Comprised mostly of Maa Antaa Yön Vaientaa‘s two longest tracks “Kun Joki Haihtuu” (6:27) and “Väisty Tieltä” (7:08), side B finds Horte pushinghorte Maa antaa yön vaientaa further outward in structure and both making and paying off more weighted threats of volume. “Kun Joki Haihtuu” spends most of its time rolling along its readily fuzzed bassline, but grows into a jazzy barrage of crashes before hitting its midpoint and seems to spend the next verses collecting itself, at least before its final devolution to piano keys throughout its last minute or so, deathly quiet as a setup for the immediate punch of drums, low end and rhythmic shove that is “Väisty Tieltä,” with percussion, keyboard or effects wash swirling over the churn and a build of its own underway until it drops out and Riika‘s voice enters for a first verse. There’s a reason this song was the lead single despite also being the longest piece on the record, and “Ilman Nurkka” makes a fair enough follow-up with its own pulse, but the central persona of Maa Antaa Yön Vaientaa as a whole is just as much — if not more — soothing than it is brash. I suppose “Väisty Tieltä” shows that in its final stretch, but the spirit there is more sci-fi soundtrack triumph and aftermath by the time they’re done than it is the serenity of “Kilpemme” earlier or the vastly spacious, mostly-drone “Konttaa” which follows as an outro to the proceedings.

It would be a case of dual personalities were the sound and the underlying craft not so cohesive. As it stands, Horte come across as dynamic without losing themselves in the process any more than they wish to in a moment like that surge in “Väisty Tieltä” or in the hypnotic wistfulness that’s captured as “Pelko Karistaa Järjen” deconstructs en route to “Ilman Nurkka.” These stretches are myriad across Maa Antaa Yön Vaientaa, and they make the album refreshing even at its most barely-there, because it’s an opportunity to breathe. It would be inappropriate for Horte to force the issue, to thrust a song at you, and even at its most physically moving, Maa Antaa Yön Vaientaa doesn’t do that. Instead, they sweep the listener along, fast or slow, like a river current, peaceful here, sometimes on a faster downhill slide, until finally they reach the destination that “Konttaa” seems to provide. It’s sunny there, mostly.

“Ilman Nurkka” premieres on the player that follows here. Info from the PR wire is under that in the blue text, as ever. You’ll see the preorder link. It stands out.

Please enjoy:

Horte, “Ilman Nurkka” track premiere

“Ilman nurkka”, taken from Horte’s new album “Maa antaa yön vaientaa”. Out August 27 via Pelagic Records. Stream / Download / Pre-order here: https://bit.ly/horteDGTL

“Maa antaa yön vaientaa” is as captivating as it is alienating. The second album by Finnish Post-Rock extravaganza HORTE is a dark and mesmerizing journey that is best consumed in one sitting – or else you’ll miss all the dramatic arcs. HORTE demand your undivided attention.

“Our principal goal is to keep the focus on the music without highlighting us as individuals”, says singer Riikka.

It is her otherworldly but ultimately pacifying voice which inevitably places HORTE’s dreamy, psychedelically distorted soundscapes in the far North. Besides the vocals, the bass is the most prominent and most tangible element in these soundscapes, standing tall between eerie synth clouds, broken beats and a voice that oscillates between subdued aspiration and bitter laments.

Field recordings and sound collages stand at the beginning of the group’s songwriting process, collected material from differing stratums that gets processed into a skeletal pre-composition, before the whole band arranges the pieces together. “Our way is to work with the material as long as it takes for the piece to figure itself out. Sound comes with it. There is always a compositional vision of how the pieces should sound in a broader sense”, says Riikka.

The Finish Four piece released their self-titled debut album via SVART Records in 2017. Maa antaa yon vaientaa (“Let the earth be silenced by night”) was recorded by the band at their homes and at Tonehaven Studio in Tampere, Finland. As an outside observer, Juho Vanhanen (Oranssi Pazuzu) worked with Horte on the production. The album was mixed by Saku Tamminen (Dark Buddha Rising).

1. Pelko karistaa järjen
2. Ilman nurkka
3. Kilpemme
4. Valoa on liikaa
5. Kun joki haihtuu
6. Väisty tieltä
7. Konttaa, ne konttaa II

Horte, Maa Antaa Yön Vaientaa (2021)

Horte on Facebook

Horte on Instagram

Horte on Bandcamp

Tags: , , , , ,

Leave a Reply