‘Onhan meillä varaa, Olla hiljaa, Huoneet täynnä raskasta ilmaa, Kun hengität sisään, Jotain takertuu nieluun’ / ‘We can afford to, Be silent, Rooms full of heavy air, When you breathe in, Something gets stuck in your throat’ (BS)

Modem are a band with deep roots in the Finnish punk scene, comprising Ville – of Foreseen, Kohti Tuhoa, and Yleiset Syyt – along with Tytti from pop punks Plastic Tones.  But, before you leap into imaginings of thrashing guitars and swirling pits – stop.  This is a very different project.  You need to shift to that parallel universe, the one where we can all dance with a clinical yet animalistic elegance.  Modem are here to entice us once more into the beguiling embrace of their vividly realised synth punk, on this follow-up to their 2024 debut full-length, Megalomania.

The Helsinki duo retain the high velocity delivery that their punk influences demand, while crafting a soundscape that is grounded in dance music with an undeniable 1980s’ sheen and a keen eye for a catchily melodic pop hook.  Ville handles electronic duties.  There is a wonderful analogue depth to the synths as they are layered and intertwined with the crisply motorik percussion.  The bottom end pulses with a rich depth, while the melodies throb assertively or skittishly flare as occasion demands.

This provides the perfect amphitheatre for Tytti’s clean sung Finnish vocals.  Stridently melodic at their core, yet also vibrantly nuanced, segueing between moments of whispered introspection and dramatically soaring abandon with a seamless, playful ease.  Amid this uplifting euphoria, the lyrics mine a rather darker seam – one of self-doubt and fractured self-worth, of refusing to take refuge in nostalgia, but instead confronting our current realities.

From the brooding fervour of BS to the pulsating drama of Ave Maria, and then from the slyly contagious Image to the hauntingly pared back Paino (Pain), the pulsating intensity doesn’t diminish even momentarily.  So, bust out the those dancing shoes, you know you want to.