Interview With Baulta

Baulta have agreed to an interview! We talked about the creative process that led to their fantastic latest album, "Another Second Chance", and their development as a band. I learned a lot about them and their relationship with post-rock.

Of course, we also talked about the current worldwide situation. Esa (drums), Janne (bass), Iiro (guitar), and Matti (guitar) don't let that get them down. In the meantime, they have developed a pretty good strategy to deal with the crisis.

Interview with Baulta

Anne: Thank you very much for taking the time for this interview! How are you doing these days? How is Finland dealing with this Corona mess?

Iiro: Hi Anne, and thank you for making this. I think that in Finland (and all over the globe), people are pretty bored to hear about COVID at this point, but it's there, and it has changed our lives permanently and has impacted our country, economy and behaviour. So I hope that the future will be brighter and restrictions are going down little by little.

"Finns are great in social distancing"

Matti: I think, globally speaking, things have been quite good in Finland during this pandemic. The situation is quite unpredictable at the moment, so we just have to do our share and hope for the best. Luckily, we Finns are great in social distancing!

Janne: So far, Baulta members have remained healthy, and it is natural for us Finns to be in our own circumstances. Frustration begins to show in infections, and problems with vaccinations cause unnecessary politicking.

Anne: You've just released your brand new album, "Another Second Chance", which for me is one of the albums of the year 2021 so far. So: congratulations! Are you happy with the outcome of your work?

"We are happy with the new album"

Baulta. Picture: Antti Varhe / AVAGraphy

Iiro: Thank you very much; the end-result of this album was even more special than expected. We have had many years since we made our last album. Any fool can regret yesterday, and it's always exciting and a little nervous to start to record an album. Some of the songs were almost four years old, and some newer. So in that amount of time, we had made quite many songs to choose from, but I'm delighted we found the right pieces and themes for this album.

That, and of course, hard work and commitment for this project, has paid off. Our decision to record drum and bass live for this album was right, and it gives so much natural feel to the songs. Proud also with the result to keep the guitars down and so they fill more ambient and textural spaces. 80' synths and piano leads were the thing that made these songs shine.

We met Xavi Forne, aka Error!design, at DUNK!festival 2019 and thought about collaboration with him. So he made this perfect album art. It represents the themes and inspiration behind these songs. We are also proud to be part of DUNK!records and a Thousand Arms labels, and they have put some severe support and efforts to make this album better as a whole. Vinyl is perfect.

Matti: More than happy!

Janne: "Another Second Chance" was the first album of this line-up (Iiro, Matti, Esa and Janne). The ensemble and the playing chemistry were a complete success, so YES!

Baulta in the studio

Esa: Thank you! Yes, I'm thrilled with the outcome. Janne had done some studio work in the previous Baulta albums, but this was the first recording experience with Baulta. Recording bass and drum tracks felt really good with Janne. In the end, I feel like all the songs ended up being the way they were meant to be. The journey from the first demo ideas to the final master was very long, and it was very emotional to see the final LP with the beautiful artwork and stunning colour vinyls.

Anne: Did the pandemic affect you when you were recording the songs?

Iiro: We had luck because we had written and composed the songs before the pandemic and already recorded drum and bass tracks of the album at the end of 2019. But of course, the pandemic affected the other parts of life, and that's why I had to record almost all the guitar part's during the evening or night time. That was the reason why it took so long. But it gave me a chance to explore sound crafting and really dig deeper with guitar sounds. We hit the studio for recording synths and mixing; there was no effect with the pandemic.

"We wrote the songs before the pandemic started"

Matti: Maybe some song titles might have some references to the pandemic, but basically, titles were written down before this all started

Janne: The band's joint evenings were annoyingly few.

Anne: Which one is your favourite song on the record and why?

Iiro: "Third" was made when my third son was born, and it was the first song that I wrote for this album, so it's my favourite. But every piece has its own thing that makes it unique.

Matti: "While The World Sleeps". It was the hardest one to get in the final shape, but the result was gratifying.

Janne: "While The World Sleeps". Hard work pays off.

"The song 'Third' is about the birth of my third son"

Esa: The opening track, "Third". I find it really touching that Iiro wrote the track inspired by the birth of his third son. It gives the album a strong start and a storyline guiding the listener through all the themes this album handles. The latter part of the song with the layered percussion structure, bass groove, and melodic progression is my favourite part.

Anne: How does the album differ from the ones you did before?

Iiro: We had member changes during the past years, and I think when Esa (drums) and Janne (bass) joined the band, something extraordinary happened. These guys understood what these songs needed rhythmically and what it takes to get these songs better. We played a lot together and turned these songs upside down and not rushed into the studio. One big part was that the drums and bass were the centres of these songs, and we didn't record too many guitar layers. Lesson learned, less is more.

We also recorded synths and pianos for the first time with our mixing engineer Tuomas Kokko. That was a rewarding process that gave this record its distinctive sound. This time the mixing and mastering process was easier because we knew how we wanted "Another Second Chance" to sound. Last time we struggled, and the red line was thinner.

"The songs got many 'second chances'"

Matti: This one has by far the best production, and the songs got many "second chances", which was necessary the get the final result in the right shape

Janne: I played previously only in the studio and at gigs, but I was involved as a band member on this album. We've fitted the basses and drums in a whole new way to this record.

Esa: As mentioned before, this was the first Baulta album for me. The fundamental idea was to give the songs more space and room to breathe than before and rely on solid grooves and melodic ideas. Sometimes less is more.

Anne: On your Bandcamp page, you are writing, "Even the longest night will end, and the sun will rise". What exactly do you mean by that?

"Focusing on something 100 per cent helps you find yourself"

Baulta

Iiro: When writing these songs, I was surrounded by this beauty of a new life, and everything was more than fine. Somehow in the centre of that, I lost myself for a moment. I felt nothing. It was too many things at the same time and all for the others. So I had to put myself deep into this project and focus this time on myself. When guitar recordings started, it came out that I had no time to record these tracks in the daytime. So I made a choice and recorded the guitar parts at night time.

Basically, I drove from my hometown in Jyväskylä 180km forth and back three times a week to record the guitar lines. So every time I drove back, the sun rose. But actually, all of this helped. When you focus on something 100 per cent with your heart and mind in it, you find yourself again. So, this album's theme is quite personal because making it affected so much in my relationship and family in a good way.

Anne: You played an unforgettable set at DUNK!festival in 2019. Are you planning to complete the line-up there again someday?

Iiro: Thank you for those words; it was amazing to play and be there. Such a unique experience. So hopefully, yes!! We haven't been such an active live band in the past years, but we have our dreams and hopes for the future. DUNK!festival was a dream come true, and I would love to live that dream again.

Matti: I hope so!

"DUNK 2019 was a big milestone for Baulta"

Janne: That gig was a major milestone for this band, and hopefully, we'll get back to performing after the pandemic.

Esa: We truly hope so! DUNK!festival was an unforgettable experience for all of us. Our hearts are with the DUNK!crew during these weird times.

Anne: Yea, I guess the whole DUNK!family, which I also count myself as a part of, does that. Really: I love this festival so much! Every time I went there, everything was just perfect. It's like being in a parallel universe when you're at this event. What do you think makes it so unique and differs it from every other festival on earth?

Iiro: I think that the Dunk!festival team has somehow managed to create a unique atmosphere – where the audience, bands and crew and everyone who have the same interest or taste in music can get together for a few days. It actually felt like home there. People and the DUNK!team were super friendly and helpful for everything.

It's like you said, being in a parallel universe. Post-rock isn't such a prominent genre in Finland, so when you go into Belgium and step into this post-bubble, it's like a dream come true. And of course, the quality of bands and audiovisual experience is also essential when I'm attending a festival. In post-rock, visuals feed the music's emotions and take it to another level, such as the forest stage. And last but not least, it was terrific to meet and chat with other bands.

Matti: The people!

"We would love to play ArcTanGent"

Janne: I think the essence of the whole post-rock scene is the transmission of emotions, and you can feel it in the atmosphere of those festivals.

Esa: Obviously, the whole organizing crew puts a lot of thought and love into building that festival. It is easy to see that the event is made from post-lovers to post-lovers. They have decided to choose quality over quantity and give thought to every detail and execute it with love and passion. The DIY atmosphere and overall kindness inside the genre is very beautiful and touching. And when you combine all this with like-minded festival guests, the result is pure magic.

Anne: Are there any other post-rock events that you love and want to mention in particular?

Iiro: I have heard many good things about other post-rock events worldwide like Post in Paris, ArcTanGent, AMfest, and Vivid, but not being able to be there yet. Baulta was Vivid in 2016, but I wasn't able to be there. Hopefully, we all get a chance to enjoy live music again soon.

Matti: Vivid festival in Norway!

"We are big fans of Vivid Festival"

Janne: The previous experience of Vivid festivals in Norway was also unforgettable.

Esa: Vivid. Norway was a wonderful experience and a beautifully organized event. We haven't yet played in other post-festivals but would love to attend many more. To play at the ArcTanGent one day is totally a huge dream. Their line-up for 2021 is SICK.

Anne: Do you enjoy working with DUNK!records and A Thousand Arms?

Iiro: Collaboration with these two labels has been easy, satisfying and rewarding at the same time. Everything has worked so well, and the people we have worked with really love and know what they are doing. They help bands to grow even better and help them to achieve their goals. Even though it's been a long process from the point where we started with DUNK!records and a Thousand Arms, it felt natural, and I personally couldn't be happier! We are proud to be part of these labels.

Matti: YES!

Janne: Amazing community. I love it!

Esa: Yes, very much.

Anne: Finland has a long tradition of dark and heavy music. I can imagine this a pretty creative environment. Just like a melting pot – everyone seems to have something to do with the music scene. It also felt like this the last time I visited Finland. How was it like growing up there? As individuals and as a band?

"In Finland, the atmosphere changes several times a year"

Iiro: Center part of Finland, where we live, is not so exotic, but four seasons and nature are the thing for me. If you can experience Finnish nature in its full range, you know that the atmosphere changes a lot during the year. Seasons can make people depressed or extremely happy. Imagine if you can't see the sun in Lapland for the whole winter time, and then in the summertime, it won't go down. And for me, the best part of Finland are forests, lakes and summer cottages. That's our thing. And it is a peaceful place to grow up and find what you really want to do with your life.

Matti: Cold, rainy and dark Autumn could have been a little shorter, but maybe that was one reason to pick up a guitar and figure out what to do with it.

Janne: Finnish metal music is also about strong emotional transmission, just like in post-rock. The prevalence of metal music in Finland has its roots in the gloom of these people. Music has been an essential means of expressing itself, especially for our generation.

"I have two other projects"

Esa: I had a very secure and good childhood in a small town. Especially in most smaller cities, it is pretty easy and affordable to find rehearsal places to start playing your instrument and experiment as a band. As a small country, the music scene is relatively small but still very diverse as the Finns are known for their metal bands and in the world of classical music.

Anne: Did you play in other projects before you've founded Baulta?

Iiro: No, Baulta is my first real band.

Matti: There have been a couple of other bands I've been involved in, but the longest period to share music related interest and write songs with has been with Iiro.

Janne: Yes, I have played in many different bands. But Baulta is the first post-rock band I play. The post-rock scene in Finland is very small, so it's great to be creating a foundation for this great music here.

Esa: Yes, and I play in two other active projects at the moment as well. The other one plays Finnish indie-pop/rock kind of stuff. And the other one is an enjoyable DJ+Drums party project called Rex Jam.

Anne: Everybody has these bands or artists who keep on inspiring them. Who are your biggest influences?

"Mogwai and Sigur Rós are important to me"

Baulta

Iiro: I love post-rock, instrumental, progressive music and ambient stuff all around. The first real wakenings with post-type things were when I discovered The Verve and the old stuff for them. Nick McCabe's guitar playing with delayed guitars and lush reverb sounds was the thing. Then came Radiohead, and after that, I discovered Sigur Rós and Mogwai in the 90s.

In the early years of Baulta, we listened to a lot of Oceansize. I love to listen to and discover great new music and bands in this genre in these recent years. Meniscus, Tangled Thoughts of Leaving, Spoiwo, Bruit, Silent Whale Becomes a Dream, Jakob, 65daysofstatic, Tides of Man, Caspian etc. They have put this genre to a new level with their ability to break the boundaries and create unique sound and melodies with great production.

Matti: I play in a post-rock band, but I don't actually listen that much to post-rock. For me, Mogwai has always been the biggest band on the scene. There will always be a special place for The Beatles in my playlist, which is the most important band for me. My father used to play in this cover band of The Shadows, and I think the earliest influences, which might have led me into post-rock, comes from there. But all in all, my music interest is quite wide, and I listen to a lot of Bad Bunny and Stromae. When going so far from the post-rock scene, you might get ideas that could somehow fit our music, and the result might be really unique and exciting.

"Leprous fascinate me"

Janne: Huh, there are so many. Most recently, I have been impressed with the Leprous-band.

Esa: Wow, that is a tricky question. I listen to a lot of different kinds of music and try to be as genre-neutral as possible. My playlist contains anything from aggressive hardcore and thrash metal to Finnish country ballads of the '60s. I share the love for Leprous with Janne. They have totally been a massive influence when thinking about the more aggressive and complex grooves we've juggled. I find Anderson Paak to be one of the most inspirational artists of our time. And when talking about the post-scene, I did listen to a lot of Astrosaur, Tides of Man and Old Solar when recording "Another Second Chance". The album "( )" by Sigur Rós is one of my all-time favourites.

"We are working on new songs"

Anne: What's up next for Baulta?

Iiro: We have already started to write new songs, so hopefully, it doesn't take seven years to finish the next album. I always need time to get inspiration and learn new things for the next album. I love playing together with our bandmates, so I'm waiting for us to get back together as soon as possible, and if there is a chance for us to play live, we will definitely be there.

Matti: To get the COVID vaccination.

Janne: New music and even better groove.

Esa: Creating new music, jamming at our rehearsal place and challenging ourselves to do it better than ever. Hopefully, lots of live gig action when it is possible again one day.

You can read my review on Baulta's current album "Another Second Chance" here.

Baulta – "Third"