‘He tahtoisivat nöyryyttää, Ansiotonta köyhää, Ne eivät osaa edes hävetä, Kumaraan kääntya’ (Ansioton Köyhä) / ‘They long to humiliate, The undeserving poor, Who don’t know when to feel shame, Or when to bend down’ (The Undeserving Poor)

Hailing from Helsinki, and featuring members of Foreseen and Kohti Tuhoa, Yleiset Syyt (Common Reasons) are back with their second full-length, Saitte Mitä Halusitte (You Got What You Wanted), and their first new material since 2021’s 7-inch, Umpikujamekanismi (Dead End Mechanism).  They continue to forge a sound that draws on the traditions of early 1980s’ hardcore, both Finnish and US, to striking effect.  It speaks to that specific moment in time when a grittier ferocity was first introduced to punk, but before more avowedly metallic influences began to emerge later in the decade.

A frantically propulsive rhythm section underpins the clean yet raw riffage as it unfurls in a hook-laden fury and the solos flare fleetingly brimming with an almost classic rock bombast.  Meanwhile, the rasping barked vocals build connections between our complicity in the rise of authoritarianism, our failure to challenge their narratives that punch down on the already marginalised, and our silence in the face of escalating militarised violence.

The catchily frenetic onslaught is vividly embodied by the likes of the jaggedly pneumatic Aavekaupunki (Ghost Town) and the tensely seething title track.  Yet, arguably, the standout moments are when the band take their foot off the pedal just a touch and let their groove take over during the menacing stomp of Inhimillisen Tuho Piiri (The Circle Of Human Ruin) and the broodingly dramatic, post-punk tinged finale of Tuhat Kättä (A Thousand Hands).