This year ahead is a big one for landmark Britpop albums celebrating 25th anniversaries. But while classic bands like Suede, Oasis, Blur, and Pulp are reminding us of the genre’s storied past, a handful of new bands are asserting a certain sound rooted in ’90s guitar rock isn’t purely a nostalgia trip.
One of those bands is Finland’s Pastis, an emerging quintet whose delivery takes the bold rock grandeur of Cool Britannia and filters it through other styles and sounds that range from American indie rock to ’60s Merseybeat. It’s a riveting package straight out of Helsinki, and Pastis’ latest offering is the catchy-as-all-hell new single “Around Here”. The effortlessly melodic track wouldn’t be out of place on those old Best Album In The World… compilations we all spent ungodly amounts of money on back in the day.
“As creatures of habit, we tend to live everyday more or less doing the same things, thinking the same thoughts, perhaps not challenging ourselves enough to dive in to the unknown,” Pastis tell Vanyaland. “‘Around Here’ is kind of an encouragement to break that circle and go for something new. It’s important.”
The infectious “Around Here” will be included on the band’s forthcoming debut album Circles, which hits in February. It’s a nice reminder that the sound we grew up with doesn’t need to be an ode to yesterday; instead, these harmonies that live inside our heads have been with us all along.
Featured Pastis image by Ashley Wolf.