"One of Finland’s best kept secrets... quite chameleonic. Best known for their British prog-rock stylings, the quartet try a new size on in this current single – synthpop... truly of the 80s, only with a vocal timbre and passion of Marillion" ~ The Spill Magazine
"Big and extravagant.... this is brilliant music for here and now, wherever that may be" ~ Big Takeover Magazine
"A trippy ride... Loads of flair and professionalism from the band" ~ Amplify Music Magazine
"Indeed a wonderful affair... Pennies By the Pound should be on everyone’s radar as a band to watch in future" ~ The Record Stache
Nordic prog rock outfit Pennies By The Pound are back with new music in the stunning 'Whispers Under The Willow Tree', a song about longing for the past and regret and the second single from their upcoming concept album 'Nothingside', to be released this spring via the Lilith label.
Hailing from Helsinki, the band worked with RIDE frontman Mark Gardener, who mastered the track at his OX4 Sound Studio in Oxford, and top national producer Rauli 'Rake' Eskolin, who boasts over a dozen No.1 records in Finland to his name.
Following up their invigorating lead track 'Burning Wish' and their recent 80s inspired synth-laden single 'The End Times', which saw the band depart from their trademark British-style progressive rock output, this new single is about love gone astray and the consequences thereof. Though they might be a bit cryptic, the whispers are also evocative of both spring and summer - which can sometimes feel really similar, at least in Finland.
"'Whispers Beneath the Willow Tree' is the middle ground on the 'Nothingside' album - a kind of a breather in between a few extremes, so to speak," says frontman Johannes Susitaival.
"If I remember correctly, this was the first complete song I wrote for this album, and it came out really quickly. To me, it feels kind of effortless, compared to a lot of the other songs on the record."
Pennies by the Pound was formed by Johannes Susitaival and Vesa Ranta in 2017, later expanding with the addition of Tomi Laaksonen and Alexander Meaney. Having written for various bands, Johannes' exploration and passion for alternative and progressive rock led to Pennies' self-produced 'Bloodshed and the Blinding Sunlight' EP in 2018, followed by their critically-acclaimed debut album 'Heat Death of the Universe' in 2020. Their 'Nothingside' LP takes them to a fantastic new realm beyond that.
As of March 10, 'Whispers Beneath The Willow Tree' will be available everywhere digitally, including Apple Music, Spotify and Bandcamp, where the first two singles can already be downloaded. The full 'Nothingside' album will be released on April 7.
CREDITS
Music & lyrics by Johannes Susitaival
Arranged by Pennies By The Pound and Rauli Eskolin
Johannes Susitaival - vocals, rhythm guitar, drums, keyboards
Vesa Ranta - lead guitar
Alexander Meaney - rhythm guitar
Tomi Laaksonen - bass guitar
Rauli Eskolin - additional keyboards
Produced, recorded and mixed by Rauli Eskolin
Mastered by Mark Gardener at OX4 Sound
ISRC code FI-LLH-23-00001
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