After being talent scouted by the Moshi Moshi label, Fins Juho Paalosmaa and Tomi Hyyppa are here to give us Brits a taste of how electro-pop sounds filtered through the cold of the Nordic countries; it turns out that what we’re left with is a more reserved sound than we’re used to via the likes of Chew Lips et al, littered with laid-back grooves and tinkling, frosty keys. ‘Running On’ is a slow-burner, lingering keys leading the way as the track builds momentum; gradually, archaic synths ease their way to the foreground. As a love song, B-side ‘Moving On’ lacks romance, sounding detached and too spaced out; as dreamy pop, the song has more success. ‘Ways To Be’, meanwhile, combines pulsating synths with strong vocal lines, producing what could be the soundtrack to a club night in the Himalayas: kinetic yet also offering aural glimpses of the ice of Villa Nah’s homeland. A trio of songs that won’t set the world on fire, but score points for offering a chilled out take on a genre fast becoming saturated.
