Having already established themselves with a wealth of vibrant delights these last few years, Finnish outfit Soundrun continue their upward ascent with their driven new single 'Back in my hood'.
Bringing back more of that riveting alt-rock aesthetic they have been growing for themselves, 'Back in my hood' makes for a stellar return to form for the trio. With its bold and explosive hooks, soaring atmosphere, and killer riffs layered throughout, they are certainly looking to get our fists pumping with this one.
So with the new single available to stream now, we sat down with them to find out more about their origins and what has been inspiring them most over the years.
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What was the first instrument you fell in love with?
JOUNI: Drums. My dad played drums, and we had a drum kit in the garage. We also had piano and guitars which I played occasionally but the drums were the best!
HANNU: I remember being 8 years old and singing so loud that when they recorded us singing as a group the mic picked up pretty much only my voice. So I believe I’ve always had a thing for singing somewhere in the back of my mind. I loved the sound of electric guitars but didn’t have one available and didn’t believe at the time I could learn it. Later I found a set of drums in a storage room of my school and started to play them alone after the school was done for the day. It was really fun learning the basics and playing my favourite songs. I found out that guitar playing can be simplified down to tabs, so I bought an acoustic guitar and it was real love from the beginning. I remember playing the riff of Enter Sandman for the first time and being exhilarated to infinity and beyond!
What kind of music did you love when you were younger?
JOUNI: I think at the age between 7 and 15 years I fell in love with different kinds of music once a month depending on what music my friends were listening to. :) My dad always listened to a lot of Blues and Santana in the car so mainly because of that I still like Blues generally and also Santana. At age 20 I borrowed the Led Zeppelin DVD “The song remains the same” from my friend. I watched it at least 5 times in a few days. It was just mind-blowing for me and I listened to a lot of Led Zeppelin for many years after that. The drumming of John Bonham was so great. And the rest of the band is not that bad either.
HANNU: I’ve always loved music. There was a lot of Finnish music made half to the kids and half to adults which I picked up when I was really young. Powerful, fun and interesting songs catch my ear. As a teenager I listened to a lot of metal and rock music. You name it, I’d heard it. After that I’ve gradually expanded my listening habits by a whole lot.
What was the first album you remember owning?
JOUNI: To be honest, I’m not 100 % sure, but I think Offspring’s Smash album must have one of those.
HANNU: I recall the Bryan Adams album which had the song "can't stop this thing we've started". Those days the radio play in Finland was like one good song here and there, so you rather played the cassettes with solid tunes over and over again.
What is the one song you wished you could have written yourself?
JOUNI: Led Zeppelin’s Rock and Roll. Drum parts are legendary, and it has such a good groove and energy. We played it live as a cover band for 10 years.
HANNU: There are lots of great songs. I really try to make something of my own while realizing that we undoubtedly stand on the shoulders of giants. ACDC song Riff Raff has an excellent fun rock drive to name one of a long list. I hope to make something of that kind of impact that is always fun to play.
Do you have any habits or rituals you go through when trying to write new music?
JOUNI: With drums parts of the song, I first try to get the feeling and groove by playing along with a demo track. I do several different versions of drums and listen to them for a few days before making a decision about what works best.
HANNU: I collect things I like: photos, songs, lines from books, anything that inspires, feels good or is interesting. Often when I'm playing something pops in my mind and I record that for future use. I also try my best to calibrate my mindset into being relaxed, open and interested and see what happens. The new stuff is out there somewhere for you to tune into.
Who are your favourite artists you have found yourself listening to at the moment?
JOUNI: Cold Stares, Rival Sons, Robert Jon & The Wreck, Joe Bonamassa.
HANNU: Right now it's the gigging season so I’m checking out a lot of new Finnish bands that are in the same festivals and venues that we are playing in. Before my last gig I listened to Texas Oil. Simple honest rock’n’roll to get your mind going to the no breaks mode for playing live.
If you could open a show for anyone in the world, who would it be?
JOUNI: Foo Fighters.
HANNU: Good question! I’ve been happy getting to know other bands and musicians, so getting the network going and opening for any band is good. I have to answer Metallica, because I’ve followed them for so long and learned a lot from their songs and they seem to be nice people.
What do you find is the most rewarding part about being a musician?
JOUNI: I think it’s the gigs. Especially festivals because there you can have a talk with other musicians and just hang around the whole day enjoying and listening to other bands. When making new songs I still love to come back from the rehearsal studio to listen to how the drum part sounds. And when it sounds good, it’s the best feeling!
HANNU: It's the satisfaction of really flowing with the band, doing what we intend to do live and moving on stage - doing something new live and in the moment! I also enjoy the same feeling when making the song and getting the guitars and lyrics click there too. You gotta love it all the way.
And what is the most frustrating part?
JOUNI: I think it’s the last weeks before recording sessions when you just play the songs time after time with a metronome. The other thing is when you listen to a drum track after studio sessions/final version of the track and realize that some part of it could have been better or different and you can’t change it anymore.
HANNU: There can be frustration all along the way and you gotta learn to deal with it. I try to tune and calibrate myself, as you constantly tune your instruments too. I've learned to relax a lot more doing this. You need to trust that everything will work out well, no matter how it seems in this red hot moment. Waiting around for something to happen used to be frustrating, until I realized that there is always something beneficial I can do.
And what is the best piece of advice you have received as a musician?
JOUNI: I think as a drummer it's advice about a tempo. Back in time an old guitarist told me that if the tempo of the song feels really slow on the gig, then it’s just right. I try to remember that on the gigs not to accelerate the tempo too much.
HANNU: Paul Gilbert said on the online guitar course something like as an artist it’s your job to go out and have fun and enjoy what you’re doing. That’s really in the core of it all.
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Soundrun's new single 'Back in my hood' is out now. Check it out in the player below.