Our first single ‘Shine’ is out today and in less than two months the album is finally out. I’ve not been able to blog as frequently as expected, but this one is a must-do. There are a few critical collaborators and contributors we want to explicit thank for working with us on the album. This isn’t everyone we’ll thank on the album sleeve, nor everyone who has helped and supported us through all these years. These are the people who directly worked on the album or related stuff.

Let’s begin with the album artwork. Mikko Jäppinen is one talented illustrator. He can draw anything in zero time with almost zero briefing. We wanted something that fits our style and the Bukowski theme, and he nailed it. Mikko also knows everything about classic metal and is an all-around super guy.

Miikka Hildén (/Migusphoto) coincidentally ended up shooting one of our gigs a few years ago and then contacted us at the time we were thinking of how to arrange our promo shots. Through this divine intervention we ended up having a fun photo shoot at an abandoned warehouse in the hoods the band was originally formed in (Haaga, Helsinki). There were smoke bombs and all. Good times.

Dino Stén is our guy for AD work. In this case that means CD sleeve design. Dino’s been there from the start (the amazing and classic logo is Dino’s work) and always delivered these visual things we have no clue about how to do.

Ok, “audio guys” next. We had two rounds of pre-production of this album. The first we recorded ourselves but for the second round we wanted outside help. Enter Kari Degerman. During two dark evenings in Autumn 2019 we recorded all the songs live with Kari, live mixed onto a stereo track (I then did the vocals afterwards). What an absolute pleasure to work with a guy who knows his shit. No frills and no issues. Enter the room, set up, play, job done. Don’t tell anyone but my secret dream is to record our next EP/album mostly live with Kari and have it all done in a few weeks.

That leaves us with the man himself, legendary producer and sound engineer Hiili Hiilesmaa. Rarely do you find the perfect mix and balance of kindness, creativity and being driven to get the job done. Hiili knows when to push, when to advise, when to wait and will not leave you feeling helpless. Recording a full-length with a pro guy like Hiili does not come cheap, but the process itself is such a learning experience that it’s easily worth the investment.

Again, there are many others we owe gratitude to for helping us along the way. We’ll thank you when we see each other along the way.

Lasse / Flush