NEØV (FIN) + Rapid Strides

Among the many talented and promising acts that have recently emerged from Finland's burgeoning indie scene, there is one name that epitomizes the sound of this new wave of Nordic indie music like no other - NEØV. On their new album Soft Atlas, they embrace all the virtues and trademarks that have made them ambassadors of Finnish indie pop in recent years and add another layer of Nordic magic, soaring melodies and wistful poetry.

Since forming in 2008, brothers Anssi and Samuli Neuvonen have constantly explored their expansive sound, releasing four captivating albums to date. "This constellation allows us to freely express our vision and stay true to what kind of music we believe in. No compromises are necessary," say the brothers about their partnership. Their steps have been impressive since they started out in a small town called Juankoski in the middle of the vast Finnish lake district. They played more and more festivals, toured halfway across Europe and received increasing radio play. Then Covid came along and brought the band to a painfully brutal halt. "It was a test for us," Anssi recalls. "How much do we believe in ourselves? What kind of music do we want to create? Usually there was some external incentive for the next project - a confirmed studio session or tour dates, something to keep us busy. But this time we had to deal with empty calendars. And as a result, we wanted to make an album that we've always dreamed of, in the way we've always wanted to."

So they teamed up with Birgir Jón Birgisson (Sigur Rós, Björk) at the legendary Sundlaugin Studio in Iceland to realize a lifelong dream and record an album there. The result is a wonderful, bittersweet, achingly beautiful work that seems suspended and soaring, imbued with a new aura of mystery, a texture that also pervades all the Sigur Rós albums that have been made there.