in Reviews

Almost there

"Satellite Stories have already gained notable international attention for some years. Their merits include sold-out clubs in London, tracks with millions of listens on Spotify, and their third album, Vagabonds, produced by internationally renowned producer Barny Barnicott, who has collaborated with Arctic Monkeys and Kasabian, among others."

Vagabonds_Cover_pieniSATELLITE STORIES

Vagabonds

Soliti

 

Satellite Stories have already gained notable international attention for some years. Their merits include sold-out clubs in London, tracks with millions of listens on Spotify, and their third album, Vagabonds, produced by internationally renowned producer Barny Barnicott, who has collaborated with Arctic Monkeys and Kasabian, among others.

The band has an up-to-date sound and concept in the sense that it sounds very pop without losing its indie credibility. Or the other way around. The title track, “Vagabonds”, opens the album, showing what it’s all about: carefully produced, (almost too) catchy indie pop with hooks following one after another.

Another feature that makes them today’s band, at least in the Finnish context, is their cheerfulness. Whereas melancholy has been very prominent feature in Finnish popular music, these guys handle even insecurity in love in a major key. The entirety is coherent but sufficiently varied. The trendy horns of the first single “The Trap”, the whistle hook in “Campus” and electronic beat of “Polarized” do the trick best. Only the last track, “With You”, with plain piano accompaniment and guest vocals, feels a bit out of place.

Maybe next summer’s big international indie pop hit is not on this album, but this foursome might well have the skills to write it.
Riikka Hiltunen