Blind Channel – Exclusive Interview
Blind Channel is one of Finland's most popular bands. Over the course of seven years, the band grew from a rising star to a major festival headliner, performing at events like Tuska Open Air and Weekend Festival. The band has already released two albums and is currently preparing a third
Blind Channel firmly maintain their status as one of Finland's most popular bands. Back in 2013, they were merely a rising star on the alternative scene. Now, seven years later, the band has already headlined numerous major music festivals, such as Tuska Open Air and Weekend Festival, and released two full-length albums that garnered critical acclaim. Recently, they announced the upcoming release of their third LP, titled Violent Pop after the band's self-styled genre, which is set to drop on March 6, 2020. We managed to talk to the musicians about their current plans, a potential visit to Russia, the changes in their lives over the past couple of years, and, of course, the key stages of working on the new album.
Almost two years have passed since the release of your second album, Blood Brothers, and your new album, Violent Pop, will be out in less than two weeks. How has the band changed over the past couple of years?
Our lineup hasn't changed, and we're still a young and hungry wolfpack. Back in the BloodBros era, we were just starting to play our first major shows in Finland and Europe. I think we've grown as songwriters and performers, and you can definitely hear that on the new album.
The album is coming out soon. How do you feel about that right now? What would you say about Violent Pop to people who are about to hear it for the first time?
We are excited and proud. We gave this album everything we had. Making an album is never easy, but this time we took the lyrics and themes to a very personal level. To those who haven't heard this album yet: get ready for an unforgettable experience.
What can you say about the lyrical side of Violent Pop? How difficult was it to work on? Blood Brothers covered themes of brotherhood, friendship, and betrayal. What themes became fundamental this time?
Violent Pop is a tough album. We all went through some shit in our personal lives and we had a lot of ideas, both musically and lyrically. The main musical goal was to sum up the essence of our violent pop sound. Lyrically, it's a middle finger to all the bad things that have happened to us over the recent years. The album is pretty dark.
Our lineup hasn't changed, and we're still a young and hungry wolfpack. Back in the BloodBros era, we were just starting to play our first major shows in Finland and Europe. I think we've grown as songwriters and performers, and you can definitely hear that on the new album.
The album is coming out soon. How do you feel about that right now? What would you say about Violent Pop to people who are about to hear it for the first time?
We are excited and proud. We gave this album everything we had. Making an album is never easy, but this time we took the lyrics and themes to a very personal level. To those who haven't heard this album yet: get ready for an unforgettable experience.
What can you say about the lyrical side of Violent Pop? How difficult was it to work on? Blood Brothers covered themes of brotherhood, friendship, and betrayal. What themes became fundamental this time?
Violent Pop is a tough album. We all went through some shit in our personal lives and we had a lot of ideas, both musically and lyrically. The main musical goal was to sum up the essence of our violent pop sound. Lyrically, it's a middle finger to all the bad things that have happened to us over the recent years. The album is pretty dark.
Did you have any turning points during the making of the album? What helped you overcome the difficulties?
We had plenty of them. The main turning point was working with new mixing engineers and trying to meet deadlines. But in the end, everything turned out perfectly, and now we have a pure masterpiece in our hands.
How long did it take to create Violent Pop? Were all eleven tracks written specifically for this album? Or did some demos get a “second life”?
We started with the song “Over My Dead Body”, written in the summer of 2018, and finished the final vocal recordings in September 2019, so the whole process took about 14–15 months in total. We had about twenty demos, and eleven of them ended up on the final record. Some of these songs were written right after the BloodBros era.
We had plenty of them. The main turning point was working with new mixing engineers and trying to meet deadlines. But in the end, everything turned out perfectly, and now we have a pure masterpiece in our hands.
How long did it take to create Violent Pop? Were all eleven tracks written specifically for this album? Or did some demos get a “second life”?
We started with the song “Over My Dead Body”, written in the summer of 2018, and finished the final vocal recordings in September 2019, so the whole process took about 14–15 months in total. We had about twenty demos, and eleven of them ended up on the final record. Some of these songs were written right after the BloodBros era.
A year ago, Blind Channel was nominated for an Emma Gaala but didn't win. How do you see the future of Violent Pop, and what are your expectations for its European and potentially global success?
The Emma Gaala was a lot of fun! We don't know if we'll get nominated next year, but at least we made an album that has already gotten more streams from the singles alone than Blood Brothers, so we're really proud of what we've done. The European leg of the tour we just finished was amazing, so now we just have to wait and see how listeners receive the album. We'll just aim high and keep working.
How does your creative process usually go when working on new material? How many songs do you write for a new album? How do you decide which songs make it onto the album?
We just come up with ideas and try to turn them into something that gives us goosebumps and sparks something bigger. Then we hit the studio with our producer and turn the idea into a finished song. We're constantly writing new material. Making an album makes it easier to see the bigger picture. We had way more demos for Violent Pop, but they didn't fit the overall theme, so we decided to drop them. Whether they'll see the light of day on the next record, only time will tell.
The Emma Gaala was a lot of fun! We don't know if we'll get nominated next year, but at least we made an album that has already gotten more streams from the singles alone than Blood Brothers, so we're really proud of what we've done. The European leg of the tour we just finished was amazing, so now we just have to wait and see how listeners receive the album. We'll just aim high and keep working.
How does your creative process usually go when working on new material? How many songs do you write for a new album? How do you decide which songs make it onto the album?
We just come up with ideas and try to turn them into something that gives us goosebumps and sparks something bigger. Then we hit the studio with our producer and turn the idea into a finished song. We're constantly writing new material. Making an album makes it easier to see the bigger picture. We had way more demos for Violent Pop, but they didn't fit the overall theme, so we decided to drop them. Whether they'll see the light of day on the next record, only time will tell.
What are your plans for promoting Violent Pop? New music videos, singles, or maybe even bonus tracks?
A new music video will be coming out very soon. We're also planning shows and festival appearances in Finland, and we're hoping to tour Europe, the US, and Russia in the near future!
Let's talk about your new style. Did you take part in creating your outfits? Why were black and silver chosen?
We wanted to get rid of the white and bloody style. That was the BloodBros look. It had been part of us from early 2017 to the end of 2019, so two and a half years was enough for that “joke”. We also noticed that a lot of bands had started copying our look, so we decided to take it to the next level with our outfits. The combination of black, silver, and grey felt like a very natural choice because it visually reflects the style of the upcoming album..
A new music video will be coming out very soon. We're also planning shows and festival appearances in Finland, and we're hoping to tour Europe, the US, and Russia in the near future!
Let's talk about your new style. Did you take part in creating your outfits? Why were black and silver chosen?
We wanted to get rid of the white and bloody style. That was the BloodBros look. It had been part of us from early 2017 to the end of 2019, so two and a half years was enough for that “joke”. We also noticed that a lot of bands had started copying our look, so we decided to take it to the next level with our outfits. The combination of black, silver, and grey felt like a very natural choice because it visually reflects the style of the upcoming album..
Do you still rehearse your stage moves? Do you often watch yourselves from the outside? On YouTube, for example.
We rehearse our moves every month, mostly jamming together or trying to come up with new ideas for stage presence and stuff like that. We also watch YouTube clips from previous shows, yeah.
Who are you guys from Blind Channel in real life? Is anyone in the band involved in music in their everyday life, studies, or work?
Joel is studying music production at the University of Applied Sciences, and he also works as a DJ and stuff like that. Joonas works as a juice master. They all work hard outside the band: Olli and Tommi work daily at a hospital and a psychiatric ward, while Niko works as a vocal coach.
Do you read what people write about Blind Channel online? Articles, reviews, fan theories?
Yeah, we do sometimes! But not too much, because there's a lot of hate and negativity out there, and we want to focus on becoming better, not on what some haters think of us. All the comments and feedback from fans — that's what we love reading the most!
We rehearse our moves every month, mostly jamming together or trying to come up with new ideas for stage presence and stuff like that. We also watch YouTube clips from previous shows, yeah.
Who are you guys from Blind Channel in real life? Is anyone in the band involved in music in their everyday life, studies, or work?
Joel is studying music production at the University of Applied Sciences, and he also works as a DJ and stuff like that. Joonas works as a juice master. They all work hard outside the band: Olli and Tommi work daily at a hospital and a psychiatric ward, while Niko works as a vocal coach.
Do you read what people write about Blind Channel online? Articles, reviews, fan theories?
Yeah, we do sometimes! But not too much, because there's a lot of hate and negativity out there, and we want to focus on becoming better, not on what some haters think of us. All the comments and feedback from fans — that's what we love reading the most!
The internet is very aggressive. Do you come across negative comments? What do you think about that? What's the best way to deal with haters in real life?
To sum up my previous answer — just focus on your work and let the haters focus on their hate.
Since the band was formed, the lineup hasn't changed at all. How do you maintain such a strong friendship? Do you ever have conflicts? How do you resolve them? Who can always sort out any situation?
Originally starting as a high school rock band, we've been together for over seven years. We have good chemistry and can have fun together like best friends. We have the same conflicts as any other brothers, and we resolve them the same way. It's all about knowing each other well, and we're doing great at that at the moment.
Joel currently lives in Helsinki, while the other guys are in Oulu. How does that affect Blind Channel's work? How do you prepare for shows?
Joel has been living in Helsinki for three years now, and during that time our band has grown quite a bit, so we don't see it as a problem. The road from Oulu to Helsinki has become familiar to us over the past seven years. Joel comes to Oulu for rehearsals, and the other guys head to Helsinki whenever band duties require it.
To sum up my previous answer — just focus on your work and let the haters focus on their hate.
Since the band was formed, the lineup hasn't changed at all. How do you maintain such a strong friendship? Do you ever have conflicts? How do you resolve them? Who can always sort out any situation?
Originally starting as a high school rock band, we've been together for over seven years. We have good chemistry and can have fun together like best friends. We have the same conflicts as any other brothers, and we resolve them the same way. It's all about knowing each other well, and we're doing great at that at the moment.
Joel currently lives in Helsinki, while the other guys are in Oulu. How does that affect Blind Channel's work? How do you prepare for shows?
Joel has been living in Helsinki for three years now, and during that time our band has grown quite a bit, so we don't see it as a problem. The road from Oulu to Helsinki has become familiar to us over the past seven years. Joel comes to Oulu for rehearsals, and the other guys head to Helsinki whenever band duties require it.
Blind Channel was an independent and revolutionary band from the very beginning. Has your attitude towards producers, contracts, and their terms changed?
We're still a rebellious rock band from the north. But we understand the showbiz better than we did in 2013 :)
Who are your idols? It used to be Enter Shikari and Linkin Park. Have your preferences changed over time?
Linkin Park will always be number one and our reason for being who we are. These days we enjoy all kinds of music and listen to bands and artists like Hollywood Undead, I Prevail, Ghostemane, and others. There is actually so much great music out there.
What are your tour plans for 2020? Which countries do you definitely plan to visit?
Finland, Estonia, and hopefully all of Europe. We would like to tour Russia as soon as possible!
What words would you say to your past selves, maybe back when Blind Channel was founded, if you had the chance? What's the main piece of wisdom you'd pass on to those guys in 2013 who were at the very start of this whole revolution?
Be ready to work your asses off and don't give up. Great things are waiting for you!
You have many fans in Russia. It's no secret that the Russian audience is very attached to Finnish rock music. Can we count on you coming to Russia soon?
We would love to come. Just spread the word, send messages to local promoters, and get them to book us as soon as possible.
We're still a rebellious rock band from the north. But we understand the showbiz better than we did in 2013 :)
Who are your idols? It used to be Enter Shikari and Linkin Park. Have your preferences changed over time?
Linkin Park will always be number one and our reason for being who we are. These days we enjoy all kinds of music and listen to bands and artists like Hollywood Undead, I Prevail, Ghostemane, and others. There is actually so much great music out there.
What are your tour plans for 2020? Which countries do you definitely plan to visit?
Finland, Estonia, and hopefully all of Europe. We would like to tour Russia as soon as possible!
What words would you say to your past selves, maybe back when Blind Channel was founded, if you had the chance? What's the main piece of wisdom you'd pass on to those guys in 2013 who were at the very start of this whole revolution?
Be ready to work your asses off and don't give up. Great things are waiting for you!
You have many fans in Russia. It's no secret that the Russian audience is very attached to Finnish rock music. Can we count on you coming to Russia soon?
We would love to come. Just spread the word, send messages to local promoters, and get them to book us as soon as possible.
March 4, 2020
This interview was translated back from the Russian version, as the original English text was lost. The meaning and style of the band's answers have been preserved as faithfully as possible.
- Tuuli TalvinenFounder & Editor-in-ChiefInterviewer