Finland’s Delay Trees have spent most of their career dwelling in an unhurried dream world, filled with pastel coloured sceneries and sun-kissed guitar pop. Last January saw the release of a new album, Readymade – their third full-length on Finnish label Soliti – showing a band that has shifted gear and opted for a ‘less is more’- approach. While the ceremonial arrangement, hushed tones and layering of distortion are still prevalent, they seem to be gravitating towards a more sparse sound which only serves to widen their emotional spectrum. The band’s self-confessed love of effect pedals and nature is more than evident on the album. Delay Trees have managed to marry the two, creating an organic and naturally flowing sound filled with beautifully serene landscapes.
Delay Trees are exploring more vivid soundscapes and different atmospheric textures this time around, which leaves more room for melancholy melodies and makes for a cleaner and more sterile sound. Yet at the same time they’ve manage to find more depth in their songs, which comes through in the calm and introspective nature of Readymade.
The first single to be released from the album was ‘Steady’, a slow-moving and melancholy affair. There is a sense of predictability in their music that offers a sense of comfort and envelopes you in hazy atmosphere.
The undercurrent of warm, flowing sounds, the circling of timid jangly guitars and subtle, unaffected vocals makes you want to stay just a little longer in their easy-going state of mind. The combination of delicate, light guitars and Rami’s casual and laid back vocals give the song a sullen mood, which ties in nicely with the introspective and sentimental feel of the track. The song shuffles its feet in a slow but steady pace until suddenly combusting, and ultimately disentigrating, into an almost minute-long distorted guitar jam session.
In the video, a one take DIY production by the band’s bass player Sami Korhonen, we are taken on an ultra-rapid bike ride through the city of Hämeenlinna as shot through a shaky mobile phone. Carelessly riding along mundane streets, idling away on a hazy afternoon, proves the perfect setting for a band whose sound – although firmly rooted in the world of escapism pop – is just slightly less dizzy than before and with a clearer sense of direction.
Watch the video below.
In Between Songs 