
We featured Stoned Statues earlier, so I’ll go for a Finnish punk double courtesy of moshimoshi, who recently released their EP, simply entitled moshimoshi 1. It was released through All That Plazz Records in Helsinki, and physically as a cassette through the American label Sun Eater Records.
They might be a punk band but actually their music is a fusion of styles, as there’s an indie pop and maybe even maths rock feel to the guitars, and the combination results in frenzied, high energy music, whilst also clever and intricate too. Do I dare suggest Maths Punk? No, because I don’t understand the ‘maths’ element enough and this is not ‘clinical’ in any way, there’s still a rawness around the edges.
Anyway the whole thing is therefore really enjoyable to listen to, even taking into account the shouting and screaming vocals. And there’s a fair bit of that.
Aside from that interesting version of punk, the band clearly have approached songwriting and performance in a different way too. Formed at the beginning of the pandemic they’ve done gigs at venues ‘of their own choosing’, including Squat Makamik in the Kumpula district of Helsinki, the Kennel DIY indoor skatepark in Tampere and the Hoi Si alternative subculture centre in Lappeenranta. They clearly want to reach a wider and varied audience, which in this era of ‘bubbles’ can only be a good thing.
As for the EP, well it’s 5 tracks which inevitably doesn’t stretch much beyond 10 minutes. Pre EP single ‘igotlostinsidemyhead’ is the definite highlight, a riotous song where the guitars drive out the melodic interest, and the vocals become the screamed accompaniment. ‘Tides’ is less frenetic and has more of the indie pop feel to open, before it launches off at pace again but I love in particular the subtle guitar combinations and the concluding instrumental sections. My other favourite track is ‘song 5’, again for the really leftfield and offbeat guitar lines, that take the song far away from anything ‘normal'.
There’s definitely more to moshimoshi than meets the eye. For sure there’s loud noise and punk vocals, but for me it’s all about the clever musicianship, because there’s a precision and skill in the guitars that makes their music mesmerising, and hugely enjoyable.
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