Discovery of the Week: Typeface
A young band that deserves your attention
Indie rock began to gain popularity in Finland largely due to the successful careers of bands like Rubik and Pariisin Kevät, who paved the way for young acts—one of which was Typeface.
Typeface first made themselves known in 2013 with the release of their ambitious EP A Thousand Years, which they recorded independently in a local community studio in Karstula without label support. Due to the lack of professional backing, the release went unnoticed by a wider audience, but the band didn't lose heart and kept working.
At that time, the lineup consisted of just three members: bassist and founder Ossi Oikari, his cousin Aku Oikari on drums, and their close friend, vocalist Otto Piirilä, who decided to continue working together after having starred in a school musical.
Typeface first made themselves known in 2013 with the release of their ambitious EP A Thousand Years, which they recorded independently in a local community studio in Karstula without label support. Due to the lack of professional backing, the release went unnoticed by a wider audience, but the band didn't lose heart and kept working.
At that time, the lineup consisted of just three members: bassist and founder Ossi Oikari, his cousin Aku Oikari on drums, and their close friend, vocalist Otto Piirilä, who decided to continue working together after having starred in a school musical.
Trying to find their place in the sun, Typeface recorded a video for the song “My Life” in a small rehearsal room and uploaded it to video platforms and Spotify, where it gathered an impressive 20,000 streams—a huge number for a starting band. Luck came their way in the form of renowned music producer Jaani Peuhu, who came across the video for “My Life” by chance. Impressed by the band's originality, he offered them a contract and provided them with a recording space at the Sonic Pump studio in Helsinki.
In 2014, the first single resulting from their collaboration was released, titled “We Might Fall Asleep”. Typeface also shot a music video for the song and gained considerable public attention. That summer, they started rehearsing in a studio owned by Ossi's older brother, which eventually led to Niilo Oikari joining the band as a guitarist and keyboardist.
The single “A Little God” became the second outcome of their sessions with Jaani Peuhu, released in 2015. Its premiere took place on YleX, one of Finland's largest radio stations. The song gained major attention at home and also reached number one on the Finnish Viral Top 50 Spotify chart. The track dealt with themes of self-love and pride and was quite innovative.
The band made it through the Finnish qualifiers of The Global Battle of the Bands competition and headed to the Norwegian capital in early 2015 to take part in the final, where they lost first place to a metal band. Even that didn't dampen their spirits. In November, they released a new single, “Time”, which addressed the difficult topic of accepting gender identity. In the music video for the song, Otto wandered through an abandoned building dressed in women's clothing. “I wasn't born in the body that God gave me. It feels uncomfortable to touch the skin surrounding me. Maybe I was born in the wrong world: look at me, my face, and what's behind it”—these were the lyrics.
After “Time”, there was a long break in releases due to the band members moving, studying, as well as rehearsing and recording material for a new album, which was planned to be released a year later.
In 2017, the band released another single, “Someone Else”, which features a spoken word passage in Russian. That same summer, Typeface actively shared behind-the-scenes footage from a music video shoot, but ultimately never published it. Over time, the band went quiet, and only a few years later it became known that the members had decided to pursue solo careers for reasons unknown. From conversations with the band members, it became clear that Otto Piirilä had started dedicating more time to his own solo project Tapio Lempivaara, and later became a member of the indie-pop band Intiaanikesä. Ossi Oikari first got involved with his art project Elmeri El Diablo, and later immersed himself in studies. Aku Oikari continued working in the studio, while Niilo dedicated himself to teaching.
In 2014, the first single resulting from their collaboration was released, titled “We Might Fall Asleep”. Typeface also shot a music video for the song and gained considerable public attention. That summer, they started rehearsing in a studio owned by Ossi's older brother, which eventually led to Niilo Oikari joining the band as a guitarist and keyboardist.
The single “A Little God” became the second outcome of their sessions with Jaani Peuhu, released in 2015. Its premiere took place on YleX, one of Finland's largest radio stations. The song gained major attention at home and also reached number one on the Finnish Viral Top 50 Spotify chart. The track dealt with themes of self-love and pride and was quite innovative.
The band made it through the Finnish qualifiers of The Global Battle of the Bands competition and headed to the Norwegian capital in early 2015 to take part in the final, where they lost first place to a metal band. Even that didn't dampen their spirits. In November, they released a new single, “Time”, which addressed the difficult topic of accepting gender identity. In the music video for the song, Otto wandered through an abandoned building dressed in women's clothing. “I wasn't born in the body that God gave me. It feels uncomfortable to touch the skin surrounding me. Maybe I was born in the wrong world: look at me, my face, and what's behind it”—these were the lyrics.
After “Time”, there was a long break in releases due to the band members moving, studying, as well as rehearsing and recording material for a new album, which was planned to be released a year later.
In 2017, the band released another single, “Someone Else”, which features a spoken word passage in Russian. That same summer, Typeface actively shared behind-the-scenes footage from a music video shoot, but ultimately never published it. Over time, the band went quiet, and only a few years later it became known that the members had decided to pursue solo careers for reasons unknown. From conversations with the band members, it became clear that Otto Piirilä had started dedicating more time to his own solo project Tapio Lempivaara, and later became a member of the indie-pop band Intiaanikesä. Ossi Oikari first got involved with his art project Elmeri El Diablo, and later immersed himself in studies. Aku Oikari continued working in the studio, while Niilo dedicated himself to teaching.
- Tuuli TalvinenFounder & Editor-in-ChiefInterviewer