Finnish theatrical metal act LOST IN GREY have gained a reputation for brilliant, esoteric, themed albums with vibrant characters and a stage-like dynamic to their sound. With their fourth album set for release this spring, the band have their second single, “Hailuoto,” debuting tomorrow via El Puerto Records. However, today, we’re having an early look at the new single, so check out the new song and its music video down below!
What impresses me the most about LOST IN GREY a lot of the time, is that they don’t follow the normal, expected conventions of the Finnish metal scene. It’s quite uncommon to hear a slower track as a single, let along a second single, but I like that LIG seem to want to show off the full range of the album, not just the most upbeat tracks. “Hailuoto” is a mysterious, violin-driven, beautiful piece with tender vocals that seem to be in lamentation, creating a mournful and mystical ambience.
Lyrically, this is also special because it’s written in Finnish; LIG have only released one or two songs in their native tongue before this one. There’s a deep longing in the words – Lillian, as a character, has always been quite lost, but this song is deeply reflective of a time that I also recognize, knowing a change is needed but not knowing where to go or how to move forward, feeling like dreams have been slipping away like water in cupped hands. Yet, the final words are hopeful… Lillian has not given up yet and still hopes that she will find her way someday.
The video is also really fantastic! It looks like they had recorded on a cold day (I recognize that shoreside wind, just look at the size of those waves!), yet they appear quite unbothered and Emily Leone‘s doing an incredible job of looking like it’s easy to play violin when the wind is trying to steal her bow. Furthermore… how often do we get to see Harri Koskela on guitar (he’s usually on keyboards, for those who don’t know)? Anne Lil Rajala‘s character, Lillian, is the center of this story, so she spends the video wistfully walking along that shore while singing, creating an atmosphere of longing. While the sound is completely different, it does invoke a bit of the same feeling as NIGHTWISH‘s “The Islander,” which is always a good thing!
Overall, it’s a bold choice to use a ballad as your second single, but I appreciate it for giving a vaster perspective on what the album has to offer. Most record labels want singles to be the album’s hottest bangers, but that’s not always very representative of what you should be expecting from your music. As such, “Hailuoto” is a spectacular and unique single!
Written by Bear Wiseman
