For what it’s worth, I’d argue that Teini-Pää have been one of the most hypeworthy indie pop bands of the past five years. And no, I’m not talking about the underground jangle-pop corner we often write about—the Skep Wax / Slumberland / Sarah Records axis. I mean polished, big-room indie pop, the kind of leap-into-the-limelight territory occupied by bands like Alvvays. I once described Teini-Pää as mixing elements of Alvvays, The Go-Go’s, and ABBA, and I still stand by that take. But their new album Uusi vuosi is decidedly more pop-forward, a little less angsty and pop-punky, with more room for moody, reflective tunes.
I’m still partial to the faster stuff (here: Oisin halunnut kertoo siitä sulle and Meduusa in particular), but I have to admit I’m increasingly drawn to the other side the band shows on Uusi vuosi. The mid-album pairing of Valssi #1 and Miksei se voi pysähtyä is genuinely gorgeous, and it sets up one of the record’s standout moments, Enkelten kaupungissa, perfectly. This is a band in motion, clearly growing, but with a strong sense of direction and control over where they want to go.
“Pop music by punks” remains Teini-Pää’s raison d’être — and that vision now also includes stepping away from Spotify (something we’ll be doing as well in the coming months). As long as they keep doing exactly this, we’ll keep following. Buy the LP at Soit Se Silti.