Passionless by The Flatfield – 2014
It’s no new thing to say that Finland is bringing some of the most compelling bands of recent times to the Gothic/Post-Punk realm. Neither is the fact that the majority of these groups are typically skilled in creating old-school sounds with a modernity move. Although at just three years old a relative newcomer, The Flatfield is truly part of this new batch of break-out bands, even more in the light of their impressive debut album “Passionless”. Seeds were sown by Ville Gray (vocals/synths) and Dr. J. Ravine (guitars) in 2011. Shortly after, bassist Juha Juntunen and drummer Jaakko Korhonen joined them to complete the line-up (Risto Juntunen has currently been recruited as synth-player). Once the guidelines of its creative output were established, the band took its name from the classic anthem from Bauhaus and, even though it’s not a misguided benchmark for their style, there’s much more in their music to take pleasure in. Besides the grim invocations from the aforementioned, The Flatfield also aims for Joy Division’s oppresive bleakness, The Cure’s haunting atmospherics, Deathrock raucous crescendos and, furthermore, they cloak the whole thing in an icy, blackened Synth shroud. So this record virtually leaves nothing to be desired for aging goths and also encloses enough imagination to be reckoned with by youngsters…
