Verandan is a new project by Ville Hopponen (some of you may know Ville from Cats on Fire and latterly The New Tigers). Aiding and abetting Ville on his new adventure are the magnificent players Aleksi Peltonen (Puunhalaaja) Aki Pohjankyrö (Black Twig, LOVE SPORT), Kaarlo Stauffer (Black Twig) and Sampo Seppänen (Sofa Pets, Kynnet). Verandan were formed in late 2015 around songs written by Hopponen.

Ville Hopponen expands on the origins of Verandan:

“At the time I had an office job that really made me want to focus on something else the rest of the time. Since I have played music since 1876 but never really written any songs myself it was a slow and meticulous process. The only aim was writing and recording some songs that I could hopefully tolerate even in the future. And also to do this with the best musicians I could find and whose judgement I fully trusted. They really pulled everything together and made it work, contributing all sorts of good ideas.

There was no particular musical style in mind. The point was to explore different ideas and themes – musical and otherwise – that for some reason kept appealing to me, while at the same time chasing a particular kind of elusive ”mood”. Sometimes what came out was surprisingly ”traditional”, which is fine too since it was never about being inventive just for the sake of it. It was more about conveying exactly the right feeling, whatever that is.”

Promo pics by Onni Nieminen and Appu Jasu

Recent words

“…perhaps the most handsome single of the year” RUMBA

“Where you typically find sharp guitars knifing through, you get a bit more warmth and swirling dream notes, letting the vocals come in with their melodic croon. Plus, the arrangements behind it all build in this texture that allows the song to brim with pop sensibility that goes beyond categorization”  Austin Town Hall

Niche Music featured the track on their Discovery feature

“The theme is wrestling with the tensions between being safe in dangerous times and the potential fruitlessness of doing so in an uncertain world. However, the melody is very upbeat and the arrangement a shimmering delight”. WYMA 

Featured on Bloodbuzzed Jukebox

” They seem to fall halfway between a really good 1960’s guitar band, let me offer, say Herman’s Hermits or The Hollies as an example, and 1980’s synth-pop but that’s mainly because the vocal has shades of Marc Almond. All in all a nice easy listening track” Nordic Music Review

“…this week we ’re feeling the great Verandan band’s rolling single ‘Hideaway’, whose carefree lightness seems to captivate more and more with each listen, a great little indiepop gem.” Päivän Biisit

“Jangling guitars and nostalgic synth flourishes adorn this section with a strong melodic pull, the “listen to the changing winds,” hook standing out considerably. The later saxophone addition adds wonderfully to this dreamy mix, especially throughout the thrilling conclusion, where suave guitars and sax intermingle cohesively.” Obscure Sound