Blind Channel – Exclusive Interview
Blind Channel are one of Finland's most popular bands. Over seven years, the band grew from a rising star to headliners of major festivals, including Tuska Open Air and Weekend Festival. The band has released two albums and is preparing a third.
Blind Channel boldly hold their place as one of Finland's most popular bands. The band, which back in 2013 was merely a rising star of the alternative scene, has now, seven years later, already headlined numerous major music festivals such as Tuska Open Air and Weekend Festival, released two full-length albums that left no critic indifferent, and announced the release of their third LP. The new album, titled Violent Pop after the band's self-styled genre, will be released on March 6, 2020. We managed to talk to the musicians and discuss their current plans, a possible visit to Russia, the changes that have occurred in their lives over the past couple of years, and, of course, the key stages of work 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. What changes have happened in the band during these couple of years?
Our lineup hasn't changed, and we're still a young and hungry wolfpack. Back in the Bloodbros days, 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 hear that on the 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 has never been 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 with Violent Pop.
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 theme is to sum up the meaning of Violent Pop. Lyrically, it's a middle finger to all the bad things that have happened to us over the last few years. The album is pretty dark.
Our lineup hasn't changed, and we're still a young and hungry wolfpack. Back in the Bloodbros days, 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 hear that on the 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 has never been 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 with Violent Pop.
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 theme is to sum up the meaning of Violent Pop. Lyrically, it's a middle finger to all the bad things that have happened to us over the last few 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 the deadlines. But in the end, everything turned out as well as it could have, 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 we did the final vocal recordings in September 2019, so the whole process took about 14–15 months in total. For the album itself, we had about twenty demos, and eleven of them ended up on the record. Some of these songs we wrote right after the Blood Brothers era.
We had plenty of them. The main turning point was working with new mixing engineers and trying to meet the deadlines. But in the end, everything turned out as well as it could have, 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 we did the final vocal recordings in September 2019, so the whole process took about 14–15 months in total. For the album itself, we had about twenty demos, and eleven of them ended up on the record. Some of these songs we wrote right after the Blood Brothers era.
A year ago, Blind Channel were nominated for the Emma Gaala but didn't win. How do you see the future of Violent Pop, and what are your own expectations for its European and possibly 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 BloodBros, so we're really proud of what we've done. The European tour leg we just did was amazing, so now we just have to wait and see how the listeners will receive the album. We'll just hope for the best 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. Albums make it easy to see the bigger picture. We had way more demos for Violent Pop, but they didn't fit the album's themes, so we decided not to include them. Whether they'll see the light on the next album, 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 BloodBros, so we're really proud of what we've done. The European tour leg we just did was amazing, so now we just have to wait and see how the listeners will receive the album. We'll just hope for the best 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. Albums make it easy to see the bigger picture. We had way more demos for Violent Pop, but they didn't fit the album's themes, so we decided not to include them. Whether they'll see the light on the next album, 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 for a tour in Europe, the States, and Russia in the near future!
Let's talk about your new style. Did you take part in creating the outfit? 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 describes 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 for a tour in Europe, the States, and Russia in the near future!
Let's talk about your new style. Did you take part in creating the outfit? 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 describes 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, and mostly we're either jamming together or trying to come up with new ideas for stage moves 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 with music in their everyday life, studies, or work?
Joel is studying music production at the University of Applied Sciences, he also works as a DJ and stuff like that. Joonas works as a juice master, Olli and Tommi work daily at a hospital and a psychiatric ward. Niko is 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 hateful talk and grumbling 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 the perfect reading!
We rehearse our moves every month, and mostly we're either jamming together or trying to come up with new ideas for stage moves 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 with music in their everyday life, studies, or work?
Joel is studying music production at the University of Applied Sciences, he also works as a DJ and stuff like that. Joonas works as a juice master, Olli and Tommi work daily at a hospital and a psychiatric ward. Niko is 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 hateful talk and grumbling 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 the perfect reading!
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?
Summing up my previous answer — 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?
We were originally a high school rock band and we've been together for over seven years. We have good chemistry and we 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 with 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 it's needed for the band.
Summing up my previous answer — 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?
We were originally a high school rock band and we've been together for over seven years. We have good chemistry and we 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 with 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 it's needed for the band.
Blind Channel was a free 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 show business 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. So much great music out there, actually.
What are your tour plans for 2020? Which countries do you definitely plan to visit?
Finland, Estonia, and hopefully the whole 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 forefront of this whole revolution?
Be ready to work your asses off and don't give up. Great things are waiting for you ahead!
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 try to get them to book us as soon as possible.
We're still a rebellious rock band from the north. But we understand the show business 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. So much great music out there, actually.
What are your tour plans for 2020? Which countries do you definitely plan to visit?
Finland, Estonia, and hopefully the whole 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 forefront of this whole revolution?
Be ready to work your asses off and don't give up. Great things are waiting for you ahead!
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 try to get them to book us as soon as possible.
March 4, 2020
This interview was reconstructed from its Russian version, as the original English text was lost. The meaning and style of the musicians' answers have been preserved as faithfully as possible.
- Tuuli TalvinenFounder & Editor-in-ChiefInterviewer