Throat: Manhole

There’s something sophisticated about Finnish…well, anything, really—even Finnish noise rock.

I mean, you’d never guess it by looking at the cover of Throat’s Manhole record: The band’s debut full-length album features a lipstick-stained cover model whose wildly un-invested expression hints at something a little salacious. But from the moment the needle taps the LP’s opening track, Manhole plays as tight and as fine as uncouth noise rock from Turku can get.

Manhole was released a couple of years ago, and offers a nine-track, TAD-meets-Melvins sonic spread, where Throat mixes layers of feedback and resonance with inventive melodiousness—notes strung together and pinned up on the audio line by Throat vocalist and guitarist Jukka Mattila’s David Johansen-type of vocal tenor, giving Throat’s music its gruff, rough-edged aural disposition.



“There’s a definite punk influence [in our music], albeit filtered through the noise rock sound of the 80s and 90s,” Mattila said. “The usual suspects (Unsane, Melvins, Helmet, TAD, Fudge Tunnel) get mentioned a lot when people describe our sound, and they’re absolutely right, but I think if we kept our influences that strict, the outcome would be pretty boring. There’s four people in the band, all with different tastes in music, so hopefully that can be heard in our sound as well.”

Throat wrote Manhole over the course of 18 months before heading into the studio to record the raucous tunes. “There was no concept in mind [when writing the songs],” Mattila said. “We just started writing, and actually didn’t want to give it any more thought.”

The result: Manhole plays with that aforementioned sophistication, but with its corners run ragged by Throat’s raw, unhinged songwriting.
The first three tracks on Manhole play with the pulse of a New York noise-rock troupe, where literal hunger and graffiti-colors run through and fuel the tunes, giving the early tracks on the album their impulsive aural hues. “Holey” and “New Pest” bring out a bit of the band’s grunge-sludge, sounding like the last couple of hours of a party you should have left a couple of beers ago.
“Perfect Teeth” takes the insouciance of the previous tracks and blows up the soundstage with massive, strategic impulses of crescendo, and the closing track, “Bad Heat,” is 22-minutes long, aberrant yet emotive, where the band leaves lain on the concrete the exhaust and carrion of things not yet expressed, taking to harmony and about ten minutes of unadorned static to close out.

“Up until Manhole, we had done a bunch of shorter recording sessions with fewer songs,” Matilla said. “But I think we did the best we could (it’s not much usually) at that point in time, and I’m glad people seem to have enjoyed the record.”

Much of Throat’s merch features a Sub Pop records-themed graphic: Is it a tongue-in-cheek nod to the label, or are you making some other statement?

[…] We’ve used the Sub Pop logo design on some shirts etc. definitely as homage to the label, but also as a way of making clear where we’re coming from. Sub Pop represents an era in rock music, which has had a huge influence on Throat, not just in terms of that one record label, but in general. We could have just as well done a logo design in the style of the Amphetamine Reptile, Trance Syndicate, Blast First, or Alternative Tentacles logos, but just happened to do the Sub Pop thing first.
I think we’ll be retiring the Sub Pop logo now, having milked it for all it’s worth, so if someone out there wants to design a new tongue-in-cheek logo for Throat, get in touch! Slayer, ZZ Top, or Cinderella would be cool.

Does Throat have any plans to make it over to the States or North America for any shows or a tour?

We’ve talked about it every now and then, but the time hasn’t been right and no one has made the right offer just yet. We did a short UK tour last year, and this year we’re doing some shows in France, so we’re giving this touring thing a try. If all goes well, maybe we’ll end up in the States eventually. We’d definitely love to do it!

Does the band have plans for a follow up to Manhole?

We have a new six-song, 12-inch EP in the works, titled Short Circuit […]; we were featured on the Eolian Empire cassette compilation (We’ve Got) Fiends in Low Places: Heavy Vibes Internationale a while ago, and there’s also a yet-to-be-confirmed split 7” coming out this year, hopefully by the summer.
In terms of a full-length follow-up for Manhole, we have no plans for it at the moment, but we’re constantly working on new stuff, so you never know what happens.

In the interim, those looking to invest in inventive and irreverent music would do well to download Manhole from Throat via the band’s Bandcamp.com page IHateThroat.BandCamp.com, and learn more about Throat by visiting the band’s official Website at www.IHateThroat.com.


Read More News

Tags:  Throat    

Lindsay OConnor     May 27, 2017