The third Cats of Transnistria album Aligning arrives via Soliti on the 29th November on vinyl and digital.

Aligning offers Cats of Transnistria‘s signature sound of slowly building ethereal music with an evolved variety of styles and composition. The album was recorded by Nick Triani & Tuomas Alatalo in the summer of 2019 at Pihastudio, Helsinki and mixed by Tuomas, who’s experimental sound design is an essential part of the record.

There are multiple layers of sound creating immersive worlds. Although the music is slow and soft, they also like the sound to be sometimes rough, sharp and stained on the edges. All the scratches and screeches can often be as important and interesting as the chords, riffs and melodies. There is no beauty without dirt.

The recording sessions were brief, only a couple of days. It’s always hard to get in the right mood when recording but this time they got there a lot easier. Sanna Komi recorded the violins by herself afterwards.
The lyrics by Henna Hietamäki are dancing around natural spirituality and seek healing in this apocalyptic age.

Initial reaction to Aligning

“For many of us, music is escapism. We wrap ourselves in our headphones and let go of everything around us. Perhaps no one is better at creating that sonic cocoon than Finnish outfit Cats of Transnistria, especially once you delve into the depths of Aligning.” – Austin Town Hall

“During dark nights, Aligning seems to channel meanings that are larger than sound itself.” 4/5 Soundi

Album of the Week at Radio Helsinki “Aligning dives into deep electronic moods. The multi-layered soundtrack of songs catches up with you; it is slow and soft, but it is also rough, sharp and dirty in some places.”

“Aligning is a great album in its own humming world.” 4/5 Kulttuuritoimitus 

“Aligning, recorded in summer 2019, is consistently moving the Cats of Transnistria forward.” 4/5 Desibeli

““Born Again” displays a poignant and enticing diverse sonic hue into where these highly talented craftsmen of dense, emotional and ethereal soundscapes will be headed with the upcoming full-length.” White Light/White Heat 

“…a typically atmospheric track, which mixes post rock, shoegaze and minimalist influences. The music and visions they create are full of distortions, imperfect warped sounds that are both compelling and immersive, but also slightly disturbing. We’re really in for a treat at the end November when the album is released”  Nordic Music Review

“Something about the song’s attractiveness and  capacity alone is that, even after eight minutes, Mountain High repeatedly seems to end quite unexpectedly. Not too early, of course, but still, the soul would want to enjoy these peaceful soundscapes for so much longer. That said, everything seems to be in order while waiting for the third album”. Desibeli

Interview via Amusio, Indie 30, God Is In the TV, Rumba, Sonic Seducer Magazine review

Upcoming shows:

January 11th 2020 – Cats of Transnistria at Bar Loose, Helsinki

January 17th 2020 – Cats of Transnistria at O’Connell’s, Tampere

May 8th 2020 – Cats Of Transnistria & SUAD, G Live Lab, Helsinki 

Cats Of Transnistria – Aligning (Soliti 078)

Recorded by Nick Triani & Tuomas Alatalo
Mixed by Tuomas Alatalo
Mastered by Markus Leminen

A small biography

Cats of Transnistria create wide and hypnotic soundscapes filled with emotion and ambience. Their unique style of slow and experimental pop music has been influenced by post-rock, classical minimalism, shoegaze, dream pop and sound art.Cats of Transnistria were formed in Helsinki, Finland in 2014 by guitarist and sound designer Tuomas Alatalo and vocalist, keyboardist Henna Hietamäki. Soon they realised they had discovered something interesting and refreshingly intimate in their limited use of instrumentation. After their debut Away EP (2015) Cats of Transnistria have released two full-length albums, Divine (2016) and Opium (2018). On the latter album violinist Sanna Komi joined the duo enriching their sound with beautifully haunting string arrangements. Cats of Transnistria’s music has been noted in international music media from the beginning and they have performed at festivals and distinguished venues in both Finland and abroad.

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