The Go-Go's meet raw garage punk in this deep and definitive debut!
Already tipped as Radio Helsinki’s Musamusa Album of the Month, this debut LP from Finnish trio Troubles has us all on ‘Red Alert‘! Crashing onto the Garage Punk scene with an record that doesn’t waste a second, ‘Red Alert‘ is a feral mix of grit, hooks and raw, emotionally charged vocals.
Out now, the album is a relentless sprint. Most tracks clock in under two minutes, tearing past before you’ve caught your breath. Troubles only let up on the final track – the record’s sole moment to stretch beyond the three-minute mark. Lyrically, ‘Red Alert‘ cuts through the usual love-and-heartbreak tropes and digs into darker territory – life, death and everything in between – with a sharp, unapologetic punk edge.
Troubles are:
Ida-Lotta – guitar, vocals
Laura – bass, vocals
Mikko – drums
Formed in 2023, Troubles are into doing things their own way. The band have openly rejected Spotify, citing its monopoly and investment practices, making ‘Red Alert‘ available everywhere else instead. “We know we could reach more listeners there, but sticking to our values matters more. We want to be part of a change for the better,” Ida-Lotta explains. The band’s ethos runs deep – for Troubles, it’s “DIY or die!” – as they also create their own artwork.
Kicking off opening number ‘Ghouls‘ with a dark & dirty bass riff, our nightmares may turn out to be the real people we know after all:
Second track ‘Promises‘ starts with an extract from the Arnold Schwarzenegger movie Commando, ending with Cindy (played by Rae Dawn Chong)’s line “I can’t believe this macho bullshit!” before the guitar roars to life, rocking out in 6th gear. The song “deals with the sexual harassment and violence women face” says Ida-Lotta, her raw vocals echoing the fear we face every day.
‘Cry Days‘ is a slightly slower number about the suffering faced in the aftermath of rape; Ida-Lotta’s very descriptive lyrics capture this with brutal intensity. “There’s something rotten inside of me, It gasps my breath I cannot sleep, Days numb and completely sore, Don’t wanna go out anymore”.
Military drums introduce ‘Swallow Me‘, another raw-voiced lament about the wish to be fully protected and made whole again – a futile hope as once we’re born we’re exposed to the dangers of a cruel world…
Fast and frantic, the emotional chaos of unrequited longing is explored in ‘Haunting‘, the “Pick me instead” line being the crux of this irrationality.
The album title comes from the first line of ‘Gimme Danger‘ – “Red alert! Your lies are showing”. A rip-roaring punk blast, this number is more melodic than its predecessors:
“‘Eve’ is a pretty clear feminist anthem” Ida-Lotta says. A song of female strength and also a warning “I’m the rage of every woman, Yeah, I know their pain”. There’s a piano giving added emphasis to the beat of this song, which draws favourable comparisons with The Go-Go’s of LA rock band fame.
The best song about gaslighting and coercive abuse we’ve heard for a while, ‘Sick‘ doesn’t hold back! “It’s not love, If it makes me wanna get killed” yells Ida-Lotta, while the rest of the band join in screaming “You make me sick!”
Poisonous reminiscence abounds in ‘Honey‘, after the bittersweet damage has been done. The album ends with ‘Full Moon‘, recovery, renewal and hope come from the cleansing power of the moon, before re-emerging renewed and with hope under the new moon. All of the instruments combine to make this a monumental concluding track!
Troubles hit the road this spring and summer, celebrating ‘Red Alert‘s release at Helsinki’s Lepakkomies on May Eve with Rokets and Paha Lucia, before joining Australian outfit STERÖID for shows in Tampere and Helsinki later in May:
Main Photo Credit / All Band Photos: KAROLIINA REDSVEN
- Ghouls
- Promises
- Cry Days
- Swallow Me
- Haunting
- Gimme Danger
- Eve
- Sick
- Honey
- Full Moon
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