Discovery of the Week: Sakia
A dream that could still come true: the band Sakia and the conquest of the indie rock wave
The band Sakia (stylized as SΛKIΛ) traces its origins to the small Finnish municipality of Jalasjärvi, where long-time friends crossed paths and decided to bond their company through music.
Initially, the band was named The Maytoes and made decent progress with their releases. However, the members grew tired of playing melancholic rock reminiscent of Coldplay and Doves, and performing covers of their peers began to feel stagnant.
Despite this, The Maytoes not only endured for a long time but even managed to visit Russia, traveling to Saint Petersburg in 2011 to appear as guests at the “Rock-Immunity” international youth live music festival.
Initially, the band was named The Maytoes and made decent progress with their releases. However, the members grew tired of playing melancholic rock reminiscent of Coldplay and Doves, and performing covers of their peers began to feel stagnant.
Despite this, The Maytoes not only endured for a long time but even managed to visit Russia, traveling to Saint Petersburg in 2011 to appear as guests at the “Rock-Immunity” international youth live music festival.
For ten years following their formation, the musicians honed their craft, eventually stepping into the spotlight under a new name—Sakia, coined by the band's drummer, Petri Haakana.
In an interview for the Häku Päällä-festivaali, frontman Matti Perälä shared that they had gone through roughly two hundred different name options. According to him, when Petri first suggested the name Sakia, he found it funny and foolish, a sentiment his bandmates could confirm. However, after much deliberation, he concluded that Sakia was actually a rather good name, noting that it translates from Arabic as a mechanical device used for raising water.
Upon returning to active work, Sakia secured an opportunity to collaborate with the famous Finnvox Studios in Helsinki. It was there that they recorded the band's first official single, “God Forsaken Land,” which featured the title track alongside “All Ships,” a song produced with the help of well-known Swedish producer Jonas Olsson.
Their second single was the song “Parallel Universe,” released in December 2016. The single was featured in Spotify's new releases and spent several days holding the top spot on the Finland Viral 50 playlist. Initially, the song was titled “Parallel Heart Station” and was structured as a ballad, but it was later fundamentally overhauled.
Speaking to Fourculture, guitarist Timo Mäkelä explained that they had recorded the track the previous spring but realized by the summer that they were not completely satisfied with it. Consequently, he reworked the lyrics, and Matti returned to re-record the vocals. Although this delayed the release date, it made the song much better, as they added more drums and increased the overall tempo. The musician expressed surprise that such a painful song could ultimately sound so optimistic.
In 2017, Sakia returned to the studio to continue tracking their new album, this time under the guidance of Aki Sihvonen. In early autumn, the band released the single “New Silence,” which took on a darker and slower tone compared to their previous tracks.
Sakia received positive reviews from Finland's YleX, the UK's Nordicreviews, and even America's Indie Obsessive, expanding their popularity abroad. However, their momentum stalled due to the pandemic; their last released single to date is “Black Clouds,” which came out in April 2019. Since then, the band has repeatedly confirmed their readiness to get back on track, though they continue to postpone their highly anticipated return.
In an interview for the Häku Päällä-festivaali, frontman Matti Perälä shared that they had gone through roughly two hundred different name options. According to him, when Petri first suggested the name Sakia, he found it funny and foolish, a sentiment his bandmates could confirm. However, after much deliberation, he concluded that Sakia was actually a rather good name, noting that it translates from Arabic as a mechanical device used for raising water.
Upon returning to active work, Sakia secured an opportunity to collaborate with the famous Finnvox Studios in Helsinki. It was there that they recorded the band's first official single, “God Forsaken Land,” which featured the title track alongside “All Ships,” a song produced with the help of well-known Swedish producer Jonas Olsson.
Their second single was the song “Parallel Universe,” released in December 2016. The single was featured in Spotify's new releases and spent several days holding the top spot on the Finland Viral 50 playlist. Initially, the song was titled “Parallel Heart Station” and was structured as a ballad, but it was later fundamentally overhauled.
Speaking to Fourculture, guitarist Timo Mäkelä explained that they had recorded the track the previous spring but realized by the summer that they were not completely satisfied with it. Consequently, he reworked the lyrics, and Matti returned to re-record the vocals. Although this delayed the release date, it made the song much better, as they added more drums and increased the overall tempo. The musician expressed surprise that such a painful song could ultimately sound so optimistic.
In 2017, Sakia returned to the studio to continue tracking their new album, this time under the guidance of Aki Sihvonen. In early autumn, the band released the single “New Silence,” which took on a darker and slower tone compared to their previous tracks.
Sakia received positive reviews from Finland's YleX, the UK's Nordicreviews, and even America's Indie Obsessive, expanding their popularity abroad. However, their momentum stalled due to the pandemic; their last released single to date is “Black Clouds,” which came out in April 2019. Since then, the band has repeatedly confirmed their readiness to get back on track, though they continue to postpone their highly anticipated return.
- Tuuli TalvinenFounder & Editor-in-ChiefInterviewer