Throat: All You Do Is Smile A Little Less

There are few albums more aptly-titled than Smile Less, the third full-length offering from Finnish noise rockers THROAT. The record marks something of a new frontier for the band. As much as their music has always been pretty dark, this one feels especially grim, with a particularly heavy post-punk and industrial influence. “There was no decision to go that way,” explains guitarist/vocalist Jukka Mattila. “It just came naturally for all the songs. Pretty much when we start writing a new album, it always starts fresh. We hardly ever have material left from previous albums or stuff like that, so it’s always like the first couple of songs that we write for a new album or whatever kind of set the mood for the rest of them.”

The bleakness of the record rather naturally raises some questions over the current state of mind of the members of THROAT. Fortunately however Mattila is quick to allay fears that it comes from a place of any serious darkness for the individuals involved. “Everything that we experience and go through in our daily lives has some kind of impact on our sound. I can’t say that we’re that dark, at least anymore, maybe darker sometime earlier but we have pretty good lives all of us. But still there’s a lot of stuff in the world and life in general to be a bit dark about.”

Smile Less is also unquestionably a product of the band’s wide range of influences. In the lead up to the record’s release, the four-piece have been celebrating ‘Smile Less Mondays,’ in which they share a selection of tracks which “may or may not” have inspired the album. It makes for pretty diverse listening, and includes artists as varied as BOLT THROWER and BJÖRK. “For us it’s really really important,” says Mattila. “We used to be more focused on the whole noise rock thing, and kind of wanted to just make that kinda sound. But at some point we had just done it so much up to the point where we had to take it somewhere else, and that’s where all those other influences came into play. Nowadays we just don’t limit ourselves in any way.”

The no limit strategy is one that Mattila has seized on as an individual as well. For Smile Less, he’s particularly pushed himself to broaden his palette as a vocalist. The results see him lend the record an impressive degree of variation, from a low Nick Cave-esque baritone, to his more typical punky shouts. He explains: “This time I really wanted to do something different with the vocals, because the last ten years all I’ve done is shouting. We started a bit of that with Bareback and this time around we wanted to do it more. It’s a bit of a struggle because I should really practice more with the singing but it’s fine in the studio when you can do like a hundred takes on something.”

With all their evolution, it’s perhaps unsurprising THROAT have started to draw comparisons to far more than their humble noise rock beginnings. In particular, Smile Less seems to have come at a time when the band’s more post-punk leanings are especially popular. Mattila is somewhat bemused. “It’s actually funny because I’m like the least of a post-punk fan in the band and now we started getting all these post-punk comparisons and everyone’s asking about the post-punk sound, and I’m like ‘I dunno.’ Of course I’m mostly into the whole early 80s sound, I haven’t been following newer bands that much. I know BAMBARA and that’s a great band, but I’m not sure.”

He’s more confident when it comes to the Finnish music scene he and THROAT call home however. “I think it’s pretty good. There’s a lot of different kinds of bands, and people outside Finland are really getting into Finnish bands as well and really appreciating the sound. Of course it’s difficult to say for me because I’m Finnish, but a lot of people say that there is a certain type of sound to all Finnish music that’s not similar to Swedish or Norwegian bands or anything like that. Everyone has a cool sound.”

Like the rest of us, it’s a scene Mattila hopes will bounce back well in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. While Finland has gotten off relatively lightly in comparison to many others, including avoiding a full lockdown, the past year or so has still presented its fair share of challenges. Mattila clarifies. “There’s still been a lot of restrictions, like no gigs. We’ll see what happens. I hope that there are still venues after all this. A lot of clubs and venues and bars have had to close their doors because it’s not possible to run them during this time, so we’ll see. It’s been difficult especially with professional musicians and people who organise big festivals and live events.”

All being well though, Mattila and co. have every intention of soldiering on. Already into their second decade as a band, the frontman seems relatively unfazed when we ask him what’s next for the four-piece. “Someone’ll always mention like ‘oh yeah you started the band 12 years ago’, and I’m like ‘oh it’s been so long already?’ We’re not ever in a hurry, so as long as we like doing this, we’re gonna keep on doing it.”

Smile Less is out now via Svart Records.

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