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Hardocre punk from Oulu, Finland. Our copies include a copy of Usman's Putkipommi fanzine while supplies last.
Our take: Putkipommi (Finnish for “pipe bomb”) is a young band from Oulu, Finland. Last year when Scarecrow toured Scandinavia, Putkipommi played our show in Turku and blew us away. Who were these teenagers decked out in punk gear playing stripped-down songs that so closely recalled the early recordings of Finland’s first wave of great hardcore bands? Usman was particularly obsessed, keeping in touch with the band and ensuring that when they released their first vinyl, copies made their way to Sorry State. Tuhottu Tulevaisuus (“Destroyed Future”) is here now, and it’s a 10-song distillation of timeless punk anger and energy. I think one thing that everyone in Scarecrow really responded to about Putkipommi is that their music doesn’t sound contrived; rather than emulating someone else’s sound, they’re tapping into something real and eternal. The distinctive sounds and rhythms of the Finnish language mean that any band playing raw, Discharge-inspired hardcore is going to sound at least a little like Kaaos and Riistetyt, but Putkipommi sounds just as much like classic Swedish d-beat like Shitlickers. That’s particularly true of the drums, which are driving and groovy rather than jagged and manic. The riffs are simple and arrangements are trimmed to the bone, so when Putkipommi does something slightly unexpected—like the way the rhythm breaks in the chorus to “Elämä” or how the drums and vocals lock together on “Pyhä Sota”—it really stands out, and there are just enough of these moments on the EP to keep things fresh while ensuring the sound stays straightforward and minimal. Those of us with a particular soft spot for Finnish hardcore will especially love the gang choruses on songs like “Massamurha” and “Politikka,” when Putkipommi sounds most like their country’s forbears, but anyone who has been entranced by young punk bands like the Teen Idles or the Necros is likely to fall under their spell of these honest-to-god teenagers and their 10-song hardcore punk 7”.