Hailing from Turku, Finland, SVARTA HAVET are set to release their sophomore album, titled Månen ska lysa din väg, via their new label home Prosthetic Records on May 9. On Månen ska lysa din väg, the self-described dyster (gloomy) post-hardcore group cast a critical eye over the negative effects of Western colonialism, capital greed and convenience at the cost of sustainability, presenting a rallying cry for change whilst never losing sight of the light that this world has to offer.
Formed in 2018, SVARTA HAVET – translated as “black sea” – were born from the Finnish DIY punk and hardcore scene, with the members bonding over a shared affinity for punk music and community-first ideals with a focus on antifascist, feminist, trans and queer politics. Where their 2021 debut full-length, JORD/VATTEN, served as an introduction to SVARTA HAVET’s amalgam sound of post-metal, hardcore punk and black metal, Månen ska lysa din väg is a deftly woven together panorama of their respective influences and a captivatingly urgent political and compassionately personal case for humanity’s course correction.
Månen ska lysa din väg, translated in English as “The moon will light your way” and a direct quote from album track Göm dig, was recorded in January 2024 at Waiting Room Studio in Tampere, Finland, with engineer Mikael Neves. SVARTA HAVET sought to capture the spirit and essence of their written material, approaching the recording sessions in as close a way to their live shows as possible, with minimal overdubs and studio trickery in favour of organically captured intensity during each instrument’s recorded take.
Mixing for Månen ska lysa din väg was then handled by Matthew Michel of NØ / MAN (with previous mixing credits including Portrayal of Guilt, Majority Rule and Darkest Hour) at Viva Studio in Fairfax, Virginia, before being mastered by Brad Boatright at Audiosiege in Portland, Oregon. The ensuing result is one of a dynamically ferocious edge between chaos and melancholy in songs such as lead single Härlig är jorden and Avgrunden, the latter a plea for humankind’s collective action in the face of environmental catastrophe.
As dark as the subject matter gets across Månen ska lysa din väg’s eight songs the moonlight shines through, this duality is best exemplified by the one-two cascade of Djur and Under staden. Where Djur’s narrative hones in on wilfully ignorance to the perspective of animals with respect to human war and destruction, in spite of humankind’s intrinsic links to the animal kingdom, Under Staden deals in survival of animal and insect species within urban spaces and homogenous cultural landscapes of the city.
With communities residing at the heart of their purpose, on a localised and a broad scale, SVARTA HAVET are not ones to lay idle in their hopes of a better world. 2025 will continue to see the band both touring their home country and beyond, as well as being deeply involved in organizing gigs and events through the collectively-run venue, Kirjakahvila (“Book Café”) – a queer feminist, anti-capitalist DIY community space in Finland. In addition to hosting local acts, the group’s tireless efforts to support international bands will continue to see SVARTA HAVET helping to foster a vibrant underground scene in the process.
SVARTA HAVET is:
Lotta (she/her) – vocals
Joakim (he/him) – guitar
Anders (he/him) – bass
Jara (she/her) – drums
