In 2021, the sublime debut of TUHKA missed to be nominated as the Finnish album of that year by yours truly just because I came across this absolute gem a little bit too late to include it on my list. Dressing vintage folk ruminations in the guise of dark electronica, echoing timeless monolith releases by artists such as PORTISHEAD, VALRAVN, and ULVER, this independent Tampere-based act left quite a lasting impression. Now, they are back to tease us with a new video single entitled “Petetyn Kirous,” released on March 8th, 2024.
This time around, TUHKA explores the familiar darkness of the human psyche with a song that is probably their heaviest banger to date, stepping into a sonic realm similar to NINE INCH NAILS. Given the lyrical topic of betrayal, the song rather magnificently captures the emotion as the industrial beat punctuates the pent-up and restrained rage conveyed by vocalist Anneleena Haapasalo‘s haunting delivery. Halfway into the song, the somewhat RAMMSTEIN-like pedestrian beat gives way to an atmospheric break, with the vocals weaving plaintive melodies atop some class-A bone-chilling guitar arpeggios, which recall some of the most heart-churning moments from the band’s debut. According to the press release, TUHKA‘s sophomore studio endeavor is in the making, and, if this teaser is anything to go by, it will undoubtedly be something to look forward to.
Written by Jani Lehtinen
