Helsinki, Finland-based punk ‘n’ roll rabble-rousers Troubles formed when bassist Laura (who uses one name) was in the hardcore punk outfit Karkaisu. “I knew she liked garage-punk as well, so I asked if she would like to come to play with me some time,” says singer and guitarist Ida-Lotta. “She did, and it was nice playing together. She asked on her social media if there was any drummer or drummer-ish person around who would like to join us. That’s how Mikko got in. I already had some songs ready, so it was an easy start for a band. I’m not sure if we are still very serious. We just like to play and make songs together.”
Ida-Lotta describes the band this way: “Melodic songs played with open chords with hot dirty overdriven tone, Dead Boys drums and the bass is like what The Gories would sound like if they had one,” adding, “Laura’s singing voice is raw while mine is a bit cute, so they combine well.
Troubles’ most recent album, Red Alert, came out in April of this year, and fans of fellow Finnish band Hanoi Rocks, Swedish rockers Backyard Babies, and SoCal icons Social Distortion will find plenty to love. It’s gloriously trashy, with big riffs and tons of ‘tude.
“We had released some demos before, but Red Alert finally sounds like we are sound-wise, where we want to be,” Ida-Lotta says. “The album contains 10 garage punk songs with most of them lasting only two minutes or so. It’s a 21-minute rollercoaster through melancholy, depression, anger, heartache and period cramps.”
The singer says that, for her, DIY means having control of her own music, schedule, and how Troubes is seen as a band. “Being DIY in music is not doing things entirely alone but more like together with other underground community members,” she says. “We don’t need big music production companies or big promoting moneys to make cool things happen. We have huge respect for DIY venues, shoestring budget shows, and all activists beyond them. That’s where the punk happens.”
Looking ahead, Troubles has plenty planned for the coming months. “We were about to rest and make new songs the rest of the year, but it seems like we are bad at it,” Ida-Lotta says with a laugh. “So, more gigs coming! We are also about to release a cassette version of Red Alert. We have enough new songs for the next album, but we’ll see when we have time for that. What we really would like to do is go touring abroad. Invite us to your country!”
Visit troublespunk.bandcamp.com
Credit Karoliina Redsven
