Brand new album from Conchis

Helsinki’s alternative pop newcomer Conchis is crafting an immersive musical world which brings together sounds that explore light, dark, beauty and grit. Known for a style that blends electronic pop with experimental and cinematic touches, Conchis has brought a new intensity to the Finnish music scene with an artistic offering build on resilience, struggle and personal growth.

Growing up in Finland’s remote countryside, Conchis discovered a passion for music at a young age where it became a creative outlet in a quiet, isolated environment, nurturing her imagination and creativity. She began with the violin at seven and her passion only grew as she joined a choir and eventually picked up a guitar at fifteen. She soon began writing her own material, later forming a band with friends, only to eventually embark on a solo journey, driven by a unique and highly personal vision.

Offering the first taste of her sonic vision in August with her debut single “Cray Cray,” her sophomore track “Trouble” followed the next month. Now she brings us her most ambitious release to date with her brand new debut full-length record titled Chapters, presenting a poignant work that addresses themes of loss, yearning and pain, yet it’s far from purely somber. Instead, Chapters is an intricate blend of melancholy, complexity and emotion, distilling a journey that’s as turbulent as it is beautiful.

The making of Chapters spans several years, inspired by Conchis’ own life experiences, including her battle with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. After beginning work on her album in 2017, Conchis was soon halted by illness, leaving her unable to create music for extended periods. This forced hiatus brought fears that she might never return to music, yet when she finally resumed, she could only work in brief, careful bursts. Rather than viewing these limitations as obstacles, Conchis embraced them, letting them shape her sound and lend a raw authenticity to the album.

Drawing inspiration from The Magus, John Fowles’ complex novel, Conchis parallels the book’s suspenseful and twisted tale with her own experiences. She finds particular meaning in the character of the magus and its resemblance to The Magician in tarot, both figures that represent transformation and control. Throughout Chapters, Conchis uses these elements as thematic anchors, stitching in sounds that evoke the natural elements to add dashes of meaningful symbolism to her music. Produced and mixed by Jonas Verwijnen, with mastering by Peter Maher and contributions from musicians Joonas Hakava on bass and Austin Finamore on cello, Chapters showcases Conchis’ ability to combine profound lyrical explorations with compelling, otherworldly sounds.

Brought in by the soft instrumental tones on opening track “Trees Grow Higher,” the laid back rattle of percussive shots sets up Conchis’ silky vocal leads to weave elegant melodic leads before the track swells with bold synth textures and powerful melodies to craft an engrossing musical experience that’s at once emotive and memorable. The bold beat-driven punch of “Floods” follows with impactful rhythms and stacked vocal layers, forging an incredible balance of intensity and airy melodic elements, putting the extraordinary creative depth and highly original sound of Conchis on full display.

Other highlights on the release include her debut single “Cray Cray” where pitched vocals underpin Conchis’ leads and the bouncy rhythm of the electronic arrangement delivers epic soundscape brimming with attitude and dark grooving energy. “People (Chapters)” offers a slick and moody downtempo sound of enveloping synth tones, drifting atmospheric textures led by Conchis’ expressive vocal performance. Closing the record with “Calm Your Mind,” the brooding sound of hushed vocals rides an arrangement of pattering rhythms and shifting synth timbres to craft a mesmeric finale moment on her astonishing and groundbreaking debut album.

Listen to Chapters below