The second instalment of Local Al’s EP trilogy concerns the state of the world. EP2 is released the 30th August via Soliti

Aleksi Pahkala, known for his bands The Duplo! and Gim Kordon, released his first solo EP (EP1) at the dawn of this summer under the artist name Local Al. The epic opening shot ‘En luovuta’ picked up praise as far afield as Australia and raised Local Al on the domestic music scene. The upstart punky ‘Selkään puukkoja’ contrasted Local Al’s more dulcet tones, with the track making the UK Spotify The Punk List and also attracted attention amongst punk circles. The EP’s most popular love song ‘Nämä rannat kuuluvat meille’, appeared on Soundi Magazine‘s best songs of the summer with a buzzing Best of Right Now playlist.

Two limited-edition vinyl releases were released of EP1, which were sold out before the release. In addition to the digital release, the second part of the trilogy – EP2 – also have two limited vinyl releases – pick these up while stocks last!

The theme of the debut EP1 was life and love. With EP2, Pahkala – known as a human rights activist – discusses the state of the world from a political and human rights perspective.

Listen to EP2

Track-by-track:

1. Meitä tarkkaillaan

With the first taste from EP2 ‘Meitä tarkkaillaan’, Pahkala returns to the spring of 2017, when the Chinese President Xi Jingping was on a state visit to Finland as part of Finland’s 100th anniversary celebrations. By the time Xi Jingping’s automobile escort was flagged, the Esplanade in Helsinki was filled with China’s red flags. However, one person unfurled a Tibetan flag, which the police denied an appearance and said only red flags were allowed on the Esplanade. The person with the Tibetan flag was asked to move far away from the park, the demonstration criticising China’s human rights had been placed far away from Xi Jingping’s sight. Pahkala happened to be walking on the Esplanade at the time of the incident and filmed the incident on Twitter.

While China’s human rights record is perhaps worse than ever, it is also an enormous power that most countries are afraid to really criticise. Chinese technology companies are one of the biggest companies in the world, they own smaller companies like Supercell and compete with Google and Facebook for world domination, but at the same time, according to multiple sources, help the Chinese state monitor its citizens and silence the opposition. Indeed, Pahkala made ‘Meitä tarkkaillaan’ a visual work of art, which also features an immersive and thought-provoking video. Check the video from YouTube below and sources used to make this video here.

2. Maailma palaa

Dub-music has always fascinated me. Jamaican legends, such as Lee Perry and King Tubby, or some of the modern-age masters such as Kode9, Rhythm & Sound and Vladislav Delay are regularly spinning on my turntable. “Maailma palaa” is Local Al’s electro-acoustic vision of dub-music through the eyes of an Indie-poet. The song has a gentle, acoustic, almost humming-like structure and is flavoured with bass frequencies reminiscent of the Judgment day. The world is on fire, and we are all asleep. Or are we? Be careful with your speakers there.

3. Aikamme lasku

When words cannot describe the downfall our generation is handing over to the next, there’s a reason to sit down and think about the remains of a coal mine or nuclear waste disposal location. The song is inspired by the brutal genius of releases that the Japanese record label Major Force released during their heyday in the late 80’s – early 90’s

4. Joskus on parempi olla aivan hiljaa

It’s also important that we return to the light in order to not constantly mourn about the flaws of the world around us. No one needs to carry the burden of the world on their shoulders alone, everyone can do it their own way. Sometimes you need to stop and take care of yourself and your loved ones. Give yourself a chance to enjoy life. Sometimes it’s better to just shut up and use the negative energy to create something good, and indie-pop creates an atmosphere for that.

Initial reaction to EP2
Local Al interview at Desibeli
EP review at Desibeli
‘Maailma palaa’ at Soundi
‘Meitä tarkkaillaan’ at Rumba