Local metal act MERTA have been kicking around the scene for a couple of years now, releasing an impressive two albums within 2 years during the pandemic, “Kokonainen” in 2020 and “Minä” in 2021. There ain’t no rest for the wicked and it seems that band leader Juhis Kauppinen is too busy making music to sleep, as their next release, “Virta” is coming out this spring! There’s a Finnish tour in April in celebration, but for now, we’ve been enjoying their recent single, “Harha,” which came out in January. Check it out as today’s Featured Single!
“Harha” translates to an illusion, delusion, or mirage… some image of something that isn’t necessarily real. One of the things I love about MERTA are that their lyrics are quite poignant and clever. Juhis has a very poetic way of working with the Finnish language and he’s very good at it, so if you speak Finnish or want to learn it, these guys are a great way to get familiar with a bit of Finnish linguistic flavor.
The song itself once again1 and perhaps more than ever before invokes the sound of HAPPORADIO, who are a Finnish pop-rock band that had some awesome albums in the ’00s. I’ve been saying for a while that MERTA are heavy HAPPORADIO, and that is an absolute compliment, because those guys were one of my favorite Finnish acts last decade. The sound in “Harha” dips its toes into that pop-rock-iskelmä, while keeping the heaviness alive. The bridge has a lot of punch, luring the listener into the vibrant, powerful chorus with brilliant lyrics, and ends on a dramatic close. This is everything a single should be to lure someone into listening to the rest of the album! Well done!
Don’t miss these guys on tour this spring!
2024.4.12 Helsinki (On the Rocks)
2024.4.13 Turku (Nirvana)
2024.4.20 Tampere (Hönö Baari)
2024.4.26 Järvenpää (Shed)
2024.4.27 Kouvola (House of Rock)
Written by Bear Wiseman
References: 1 Why Bear Loves Merta
