- Our first reactions to such a big success were mainly surprise and suspicion. Of course, the good response to the single gave us high hopes also for the album, but none of us could even dream about reaching the top of the album charts. Let alone being number one for three consecutive weeks. In my mind, the best thing about it all is that the Finns’ listening habits are clearly becoming wider. The fact that an album like Breaking Daylight, which was made completely at the band’s own terms and is a rather unconventional pop album, can become a hit at the charts and be commercially successful is quite sincerely damn sweet. I hope that this kind of openness will continue because at its best it can give very different bands a chance to find their own audience.


- In a nutshell, I could say that we’ve been preparing material for the album leisurely for a couple of years, at a slightly more intensive pace for six months and at a killer pace for the last couple of months. It’s great if the good vibes come across. We all have such a twisted sense of humour, especially when we’re together, that intensive work at the studio is almost inevitably fun, or at least appropriately absurd. It’s the same with playing the songs live at gigs, but on the other hand, of course it isn’t easy to capture the joy of playing on the recorded songs. However, our goal was to make our way of playing heard in the songs that were created on a live basis, in a way by playing, which means a little less than half of the songs on the album. In the end everything is founded on the fact that doing something is fun. If the playing is fun, it can also be heard on the album. Making the record naturally was also hard as hell, especially in the late spring when we didn’t have any weekends off and we were polishing the material practically every day, from dawn till dusk…


- Our main goal is that the composition of the group and the sets would be as diverse as possible. We’ve agreed to do quite many gigs this summer, but then again touring in the summertime is really enjoyable in a very special way. Our percussionist Giorgio de las Nieves will be playing with us at most of the summer gigs, and Emma Salokoski (vocals) and Teppo Mäkynen (decks) give guest performances when possible. In addition to that, there’ll be other small or big surprises for sure.


- Playing gigs is absolutely vital for us, and I think that the new album’s success is largely based on frequent gigging during the last couple of years and our reputation as a good live band. Making a record and playing live have always been two different things for us, beginning already from the fact that when we were releasing our debut album we hadn’t actually played any shows whatsoever. Later we’ve realised that for us the most natural way to go is to arrange only a few recorded songs to suit live shows, but above all, to take gigging as its own separate thing. So, what the band sounds like live doesn’t necessarily depend only of the sound of the record. I really don’t know what to say of our reputation as a live band, but at least for us ourselves it’s important to always be passionate about gigging. Whatever the place, the event or the size of the audience may be, the band must always try and play the best gig possible, to create the best possible vibes for both us and the audience. It’s most important to enjoy playing because our own enjoyment spreads to the audience. The worst I know are the bands whose shows leave an aftertaste of indifferent routine.


- Naturally, everything looks now really good in terms of the future. But where we come from, we’ve always set our goals on a really short-term basis and with extreme caution. Practically nothing essential in the band or in its doings will change along with the success, although we’re reaching now slightly wider audiences than before the release of Breaking Daylight. The only realistic goal is to aim to continue making music with the same serious and positively absurd attitude as ever before. All else is inessential if we manage to do that. Let’s hope that in five year’s time we’re all still alive and friends with each other.



Photos: Teppo Leppänen