The Third Eye

Finland is the home recording project and an occasional live band of a guy based in Falmouth, U.K., that I know only as Fin. He’s an affiliate of the Kernow Psych Society, and he’s been recording and releasing music under the Finland alias for the last year or two. The project revolves around making music with obsolete equipment, with everything recorded using a 4-track cassette recorder and minimal knowledge of how to record music conventionally.

It’s a raw and DIY approach that’ll appeal to fans of lo-fi indie psychedelic music. Finland released a new album on June 30, 2023, called Still Life, which takes this raw approach that you may enjoy. It was recorded from January 2022 to January 2023 in Penzance and Falmouth on a Tascam 244 4-track.

The Songs

There’s not much anything written online about the Finland project, and he reached out to The Third Eye to be more outgoing about self-promotion. I always love helping small indie musicians with reviews, and I liked what I heard, so I figured, why not?

Still Life begins with “30 revolutions per minute,” a hazy acid pop dream that’s a little over three minutes long. His vocals are obscured, and you can hear what sounds like a synth over a drum machine gently whisking us away. I don’t listen to a lot of lo-fi music, but it has all the qualities of a home recording project, and the sound isn’t too bad considering the obsolete equipment he’s using.

“Gets Colder” is a more up-tempo song that brings a guitar in. Finland’s vocals call to us in an ethereal way. It’s garage rock in the sense that, yes, this very well could’ve been made in a garage. “Inland” is one of the longest tracks, featuring more guitar and a throwback Sixties feel.

“Weddings” has interesting electronic noises that feel like something from an old sci-fi film. It’s a drone song that unsettles the listener a bit. “Some Sun” brings an almost funky beat on the drum machine and guitar playing – almost like the Red Hot Chilli Peppers making a lo-fi song. The aspect that gives it that retro feel is mostly the haunting echo quality of Finland’s vocals.

“Mass” is another song with interesting electronic sounds that I’m guessing come from a synth. They could also be pre-recorded beat loops; I’m not sure. It’s another unsettling track with extraterrestrial vibes. “Oh me, oh my” is a single released off the album that has the best songwriting. Considering Finland has no real conventional music writing knowledge, I found it impressive that he could craft something this upbeat and catchy.

“Recently Haunted” was interesting on a couple of levels. Firstly, it reminded me of the philosophical concept of Hauntology, which is very much an English thing. Much of the album feels adjacent to Hauntology, as it harkens back to an earlier day and feels like some long-lost archived recording. Secondly, I simply liked the beat in this song and the jangly guitar playing.

“Calling Card” had one of the most distinctive lo-fi sounds to me. The guitar sometimes has a bit of a dissonant tone, and it’s a freaky psychedelic track in a fever-dream-ish sense. The album closes with “Cowboy,” by far the longest track on the album. There’s lots of guitar feedback and the most prominent display of electric guitar playing on the record.

Final Thoughts

I enjoyed Still Life by Finland but realize it won’t be for everyone. Lo-fi psych is very much a niche category. Nevertheless, it’s an acid-drenched recording that I suggest you give a shot. Home recording projects like this are cool, and I’m guessing the man behind Finland is on the younger side. So, I imagine his songwriting abilities will only strengthen as he learns his craft.

You may enjoy what Finland has created here if you like more indie psych acts like Allah-Las and Beach Fossils. Still Life’s recording quality is a bit harsh at times, but that’s somewhat the point – remember, it’s a DIY project using obsolete equipment. You can find Still Life by Finland on Bandcamp, so head over and support him if you wish.

Support Finland by finding him on Bandcamp or social media (Instagram, YouTube).

Parting words: “Why is it always raining here? Or is that just the sound of the television, tuned to a dead channel?” – Mark Fisher

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