A round-up of all things Soliti in 2023
Where did the year go? 2023 has whizzed by, an ultra-fast 100 yard sprint. The idea was to merely have a few Soliti releases in 2023 – to give some space and take a breather. Seems Soliti pretty much managed to keep a regular stream of new music appearing over the course of the year. Nice. Ghosts on TV released their first full-on GOTV album for the label, the self titled release expanding on the band’s core sound; ever evolving, experimenting and trying on new shoes. We introduced the solo material of Juppe (member of the much loved Keidas), with the gloriously titled debut album Feeling Bad About Feeling Sad In The Happiest Country In The World. A record that requires time and patience to open up, but is well worth that time and patience. Stinako covered Paavoharju with a breathlessly gorgeous double a-side single. Knife Girl retained the prolific zeitgeist with her seriously sexy album CUM; a pop record like no other which shines a deeper light on the desires and fears of trans women. That all sounds reassuringly great to me. Next year sees a return to the super hectic for Soliti with a lot of new music (and some new artists) coming your way – you’ll be able to find out about it all here, so do keep coming back.
Challenges remain for indie artists and labels in 2023, especially amongst Finnish environs. The pandemic has had profound effects on the live side, whilst it feels increasingly hard for newer artists to breakthrough and gain attention. Social media remains essential to keep tabs on what our artists are up to. You can follow all our artists here. Do it and stay in the loop and supportive.
2023 would not have been possible without all our fine artists (THANK YOU!) and the extra lengths they have gone to bring us the finest quality releases this year. The dedication and hard work of Laura, Janina and Ville who kept the good ship Soliti floating in often choppy waters – this was so appreciated. Solid gold love to them. Everyone who streamed a song, bought an album, went to a show, booked a show, bought a t, shared a song, wrote a review or merely enjoyed our releases this year, thank you for sticking with Soliti.
Find our releases from 2023 below – a fine vintage we feel. See you on the other side.
Triani x
SOLITI SINGLES 2023 PLAYLIST
All the singles released by Solitimusic in 2023 – featuring Ghosts on TV, Juppe, Knife Girl and Stinako.
Playlist cover by Janina Tanhua
SOLITI VIDEOS PLAYLIST FOR 2023
Ghosts on TV : “Sunshine” directed by Sonja Tolonen
Ghosts on TV : “Life In Plastic” Edited by Alabama Kentucky
Juppe: “Happiest Country In The World ” Directed by Patrik Sundberg
Juppe : “Andy, I Have Your Lighter” Directed by Juppe
SOLITI RELEASES 2023
GHOSTS ON TV: GHOSTS ON TV (SOLITI 104) RELEASE DATE: 14/04/2023
Ghosts on TV album sleeve
“When we began making our sophomore studio album it took a more multifaceted and arguably scattered form compared to our previous efforts. In doing so, however, it also began to branch out into new territories and transcend what we previously have sonically built on. Forming something that has a bit of everything but pushed forward and very much in the present. This is why we felt that this album should be our self-titled album, it is a concrete statement of our band and our roots as it stands today. After I Am Not Dead, I Am 55 Today we knew that we wanted to do a more ”traditional” album which consists of several songs and several moods. Perhaps the most evident change between albums is the return of vocals. We also experimented and expanded our sound with blast beats, slowcore, shoegaze and ballad influences. Of course the album has to also have one 12-minute heavy kraut rock track that repeats the same riff over and over again. This is also our first studio album with Aaro Tirronen, who joined the band as our new third guitarist in January 2021. His personality and playing style has brought a welcomed breath of fresh air to the ancient musk that is Ghosts on TV.” Read More
“The band may make some compromises when moving to a more traditionally understood album format, but normalcy and all kinds of boredom are as far away from this as possible. I haven’t found all the angles on each track, or part of them, yet, but all in all, Ghosts is the strongest ensemble of TV’s career so far.” Desibeli 4/5
“Ghosts of TV‘ is of course spectacular. I could easily blame them for my Nordic Music Review silence for the last 3 months, because quite frankly why would I ever want to listen to anything else. Their debut was definitely there up with the very best post rock releases but of course it’s true, it was ‘just another’ instrumental post rock band doing their thing, and now Ghosts of TV have quite literally found their voice, and also their soul. It’s a powerful and totally absorbing album that emphasises why this band are amongst the best that Scandinavia has to offer. See you in Helsinki.” –Nordic Music Review
“The band’s expression is characterised by ethereal drifting. The nearly 12-minute track “Muljutus” demonstrates how Ghosts on TV excels in hypnotic space-traveling kraut-painting.” Ilkka-Pohjalainen
“The band creates a massive and addictively bubbling wall of sound. The serene melancholy of the song “Sheets of Blue” approaches the magical atmosphere reminiscent of the later works of Talk Talk.” – Soundi
Stinako – Ikkunat näkevät / Toukokuu (Soliti 105)
Ikkunat näkevät / Toukokuu single sleeve by Heli Blåfield.
“It was years ago I first heard Ikkunat näkevät. I’ve been haunted by this song ever since. Paavoharju’s original version will always be the best and I only wish we’re doing the song justice. The melodies are completely mesmerising, I just love to sing it.”
“Toukokuu is a tiny song of saying goodbye and moving on – while still loving one another. The singer is asking for permission to leave in mutual understanding. Where the person is leaving while talking of winds of May and verdant trees – we don’t know. A wild summer? Afterlife? It’s up to the listener’s mind to tell. I feel like these two songs are like sisters in terms of harmony and the tones in them. It happened by accident, because I wrote Toukokuu way before I decided to ask Paavoharju for acceptance to do a cover of their masterpiece.” Read More
“‘Haunting’ is an overused word in reviews like this but that is exactly what it is. As is often the case I’ve tried to identify a film where it could be the soundtrack. One of the scenes in Don’t Look Now where Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie are chasing around the back alleys of Venice in pursuit of the little girl in the red coat perhaps? Or the final scene in the original Blade Runner where Rutger Hauer gives his farewell soliloquy?…immerse yourself in these two gorgeous songs.” Nordic Music Central
JUPPE : FEELING BAD ABOUT FEELING SAD IN THE HAPPIEST COUNTRY IN THE WORLD (SOLITI 106) RELEASE DATE: 22.09.2023
Feeling Bad About Feeling Sad In The Happiest Country In The World album cover by Simo Pukkinen.
“The album sounds kinda lonely to me now, even though it was very collaborative in nature. Good friends helped me make it. Best friends. I think I had the most fun I’ve had yet in the studio. I can hear that in there too.My process is pretty much just throwing stuff on the wall and waiting for a week. If I still remember that one song out of ten, it was probably pretty good. Phone audio memos are the most vital instrument I have.A lot of the lyrics deal with relationships, primarily the end of relationships. I feel like the songs have a through line of worrying about things you should have or could have done.“ Read More
“FBAFSITHCITW is an exciting adventure into the wonderland of pop, with the rabbit hole being surprisingly deep and mirrors constantly acting as passageways.” Desibeli
“…wait until the back half spins this distorted noise-skronk stomp; there’s no boundaries in the band’s songwriting, which is something that means a lot to me these days. It’s a tune that works playfully, then fades with bombast, so interested to hear where the project goes from here.” Austin Town Hall
“Juppe, who makes the most original soul music in Finland” Rumba
“…the richness of the sound and development from every angle is interesting every time.” Niche Music
KNIFE GIRL : CUM (SOLITI 107) RELEASE DATE: 17TH NOVEMBER 2023
CUM Album sleeve by Otso Reitala
“CUM is about the huge changes I experienced with my sexuality and gender identity upon starting hormone replacement therapy. I wanted to explore those themes of sex and gender in a sincere way without sensationalising or romanticising my experience. Though sex and relationships are lovely, there is a greed and ugliness to it as well. And though my gender expression fills me with euphoria, the fear of violence and hate crimes haunts me daily” Read More
‘This is a vulnerable record for her to release, and it will rightfully resonate. Its themes will be familiar to those who’ve been through it.’ The Quietus
“Cum takes over the spaces of sexuality in just over half an hour. Aslo’s music includes an interest in both bedroom and party music, and there is also a clear understanding of creating both. It is largely for this reason that Cum is an entertaining and well-executed album” 4/5 Helsingin Sanomat
“CUM is a bold and high-level musical way out of a difficult subject. At the same time, it’s a go-to dance album.” 4/5 Kulttuuritoimitus
“Orgasmisk hyperpop” 6/6 Gaffa.se
End of year lists coming soon…