Von Hertzen Brothers: ‘As a kid, I was always explaining what I was doing by singing what I was doing!’

Finland’s Von Hertzen Brothers return with their ruminative ninth studio rock album, In Murmuration, an album celebrating change, resilience, the good times and what ifs.

They comprise brothers Mikko von Hertzen (vocals, guitars), Kie von Hertzen (guitars, vocals), Jonne von Hertzen (bass, keyboards, vocals), Sami Kuoppamäki (drums) and newest member Markus Pajakkala (keyboards, woodwind).

From the anthemic opener ‘The Relapse’ to the reflective closer ‘Wait For Me’, In Murmuration ebbs and flows much like the starlings after which it is named. Their imaginative, multi-genre hard rock and beautiful, often delicate, harmonies remain but the band’s artistic pendulum has swung more towards an air of optimism and renewal, giving us an album full of stadium rock anthems, think art-rock with 90’s vibes and catchy power-pop choruses. The first half of the album explores the themes of mood and transformation, positivity and love, whereas the second half journeys through challenging relationships, in a call for change, separation, loss, longing and a final resolution.

‘The shapes and the overall tone of the musical content on this album could be a bit surprising to some of our newer followers but not to those who have been listening to us from the beginning’

‘It’s definitely a straightforward rock album with a positive vibe to it,’ Mikko von Hertzen said. ‘The term that we like to use is epic rock (laughs), it portrays the brothers. The shapes and the overall tone of the musical content on this album could be a bit surprising to some of our newer followers but not to those who have been listening to us from the beginning. Musically speaking, we have proudly carried the cloaks of ‘prog-wizards’ for the last two albums but what has not been so widely discussed lately is our ability to write good pop choruses and great catchy rock anthems with good vibes! We felt like it was time to bring forth that side of us once again. The lyrical themes still deal with the everyday struggles of being humans in this fucked up world – it’s a source that keeps on giving – but we wanted to step out of the forest and into the sunlight to mingle, discuss and celebrate.’

All of this is best encapsulated in the brilliant opener, ‘The Relapse’, a glam rock swirl of guitars, driving drums and soaring vocals from Von Hertzen atop one of the hookiest choruses I’ve heard all year. It’s a track that twists and turns, unveiling sonic easter eggs at every turn as well as two glorious and unexpected sax solos. I tell him that I was particularly struck by the memorable line “10 years, 9 months, 8 days I’ve been hiding like a monk in my cave” and he grins: ‘It’s always difficult to explain a song, to verbalise what you meant,’ he said. ‘It definitely has that feeling of restricting yourself from doing something and finally realising: “Oh fuck it, I’m just going to let it go and just go for it!”. I did like the 10, 9, 8, so that it’s a little bit of a countdown (laughs). I think the best way to describe this song is as a kind of surrender, this is the way I need to go now. It’s a song that was written by my big brother Kie, when he said that he has this idea for the lyrics, I knew exactly what he was trying to say. We tweaked it so that it was like you said, it doesn’t point to any direction, or any specific addiction. We wanted to keep it that way, some of the things in songs are best when you don’t verbalise them, whether it’s drugs or alcohol, love or any kind of kink or anything like that.’

I say that the brilliant sax solos are a wonderful and unexpected surprise and he becomes very enthusiastic: ‘It’s so fresh because the song is a little bit like bands such as Queens of the Stone Age or Foo Fighters and that kind of forward-kicking rock,’ he said. ‘But then you have a saxophone in there, not once, but twice in a big row! On this song, it’s quite simple but it has a lot of harmonies in it, it’s just so well arranged that it feels like it’s really big, you know? We try many harmonics of different sounds that makes it seem wider and more full. We spend a lot of time in the studio trying to find the right sounds!’

As the track kicks off: “One look. One thought. One spark from the corner of your eye, I can take. But a spin, in a dance with the devil, on a rollercoaster ride is all it takes. And I break.”

‘I said that this song and this video need to have a Flying V!’

In the video for ‘The Relapse’, von Hertzen is playing a beautiful vintage-looking Flying V and I ask him how long he’s had it: ‘I have to admit that one of my good friends lent it to me. Do you know the Finnish metal band Amorphis?’ I say that I don’t. ‘Their guitar player, Esa Holopainen, who is the main songwriter, it’s his Flying V. I said that this song and this video need to have a Flying V! Actually, today, I told Esa: “Oh, people say that the Flying V really suits me (laughs), so how much would you ask for it?!” I ask if his friend is willing to sell it. “No, no, no, he’s not selling it,’ he said looking genuinely crestfallen. ‘It’s an original Gibson from the 70’s, he absolutely can’t sell it!’

When they sat down to work on the album, they already had a distinct idea as to how they wanted it to sound: ‘We had a few songs that we really felt would be cool to record,’ von Hertzen said. ‘Those were ‘The Relapse’, ‘Snowstorm’ and ‘The Change’. Over the last 10 years, we’ve been playing many shows and we tend to always want to play a rockier set. For example, we’ve played our song ‘New Day Rising’ at every gig for the past 10 years, so we thought it was time to write something new, fresh and forward-kicking like that song!’

‘Ascension Day’ erupts with huge “hey heys”, harking back to classic rock songs of the 90’s and gives me a George Michael vibe, particularly in the big, hands in the air, chorus. It’s an uplifting track, hopeful and honest, “feeling like a Saturday night…on this beautiful morning”: ‘It’s quite rare to actually have a song where you feel you want to keep it as positive as possible,’ von Hertzen said laughing. ‘With this song, it felt like it’s such a stadium anthem. It’s all about being in a dark place for so long and then coming up from that and sensing the air, seeing the birds and the sun is warming you up. It’s saying: “Today is a great day for me”. How do you write a song about that? So we played with the idea that it has to feel like today, with the idea that I just want to go out there and have fun! Usually, we are a little bit afraid to be overly happy (laughs). We have anthems but they’re never over the top, so it felt really fun to do it like this because we didn’t restrict ourselves whatsoever. We didn’t say: “Let’s try to be cool”, you know, we didn’t try to be cool at all (laughs). Quite the contrary!’

As the track goes: “I’m feeling like a Saturday night. Just to be on my feet on this beautiful Monday. I’m back and to make everything right, I will ride on this wave ’til the town has been painted red.”

‘Many people have that experience, we’ve all been there, when the weight has been lifted from our shoulders’

He admits that the track is a bit of a curveball: ‘I think that maybe people who heard that song for the first time were like, what, because that’s usually not our style, you know? But I think that many people have that experience, we’ve all been there, when the weight has been lifted from our shoulders and we feel ok.’

Songwriting duties are mostly shared between Mikko and Kie: ‘I write most of the lyrics but with my big brother’s songs, I tell him to describe the feeling, the point that he wants to make, if he has any. We talk a lot about the visuals of the song, its energy and the lyrics. He’s a very visual guy, he sees all the music in pictures. We’ve done this for so many years, so I get what it’s about and then I do a first draft. He even thinks about how I should keep my mouth when I sing a particular bit – it might be wide or it might be closed. We trust each other so much. When it’s his song, he’s guiding me through whatever feeling that he wants to convey. It usually hits the mark.’

It’s clear from our chat that a strong artistic temperament was instilled into the three siblings. Their father, Hasse and uncle, Lasse von Hertzen, both played in Scandinavian bands in the 60’s and 70s. One of Kie’s godfathers was an early Finnish environmentalist pioneer, the other one a well-known artist and a sculptor. The boys spent their holidays at their family’s seaside cabin on Finnish coastland where they still spend time writing songs and exploring nature, giving them a mutual vision steeped in Finnish folklore, musical traditions, wildlife and humanitarian causes.

‘If we weren’t doing this together, we’d have a very different kind of brotherhood’

Initially, in the 1990’s, the brothers forged independent musical journeys, playing in separate successful bands. In 2000, a side project born from the idea of creating something together developed into their first album, Experience. By the time their second album Approach (2006) topped the Finnish chart with its blend of progressive guitar driven rock and rich, layered vocal harmonies, it was clear that they were onto something special. ‘If we weren’t doing this together, we’d have a very different kind of brotherhood, we’d maybe go hiking more,’ von Hertzen said. ‘We’re not taking big vacations together, that might be too much (laughs) but we feel that it’s important to spend time with our parents who are getting old. So for the Easter holiday, Christmas or midsummer holiday, we might be together somewhere and then we try not to talk work (laughs). Like at Christmas, many times, we go to our cabin two hours from Helsinki, in the woods. I like staying warm indoors and not panicking about Christmas, so we might bathe in the sauna and just chill and eat well. That’s a perfect Christmas for me, just to spend time with your near and dear ones.’

A song on the new album that evokes Christmassey cheer and magic is ‘Beneath the Silver Stars’, a sweeping, cinematic ballad embellished by a wave of lush strings. It’s a proper feel good, old school love song: ‘I wasn’t beating around the bush at all,’ he said laughing. ‘Usually, when I write, I’m poetic in a way that I use a lot of metaphors and a lot of open visuals for people to then make their own but this time, there are very to-the-point things, like the fireflies – there were actually fireflies – and the ocean was actually rolling in and I’m really climbing up the stairs to be under the stars on the roof terrace. I was doing this after a tour, which I actually mention in the song, which is unheard of for me! It’s a love song, it’s definitely about that experience. I came up with the line “hoping that the earth won’t turn too soon”, I felt like that was a very beautiful way of expressing it because we always say that the sun is setting but the sun is actually static and we are the ones rotating. I thought this line was a really nice way of saying that I don’t want this night to end because it’s so beautiful and it’s so full of these amazing feelings.’

As the track goes: “Oh, the ocean waves are rolling in. And you. Something strange is happening with us two. We’re growing wings right under the silver moon. And it feels like we could fly.”

He says he’s ‘pretty happy with the song’: ‘There’s a part of me that is striving when I write music and lyrics to have that feeling of bliss, that flow that you can just lose yourself into,’ he said. ‘The rock songs are usually forward-kicking, energetic, there’s effort involved (laughs), you know they’re heading somewhere. I’ve written many ballads, you want to close your eyes and dwell in that peaceful state of blissfulness, it’s almost spiritual. The chords are very simple, I just had a guitar in my hands and wrote it at night on the rooftop terrace in my Indian home. With the fireflies there, the ocean rolling in and all those beautiful things that made me feel really good about life, which makes you want to say those things out loud.’

Nature is a recurring theme in their writing and their previous double album Red Alert in the Blue Forest (2022) reflects their unique upbringing and love of nature. The album was hailed a ‘masterpiece’ by Prog Magazine with many critics calling it their best album yet. It went on to spearhead a campaign to protect ancient forests in Finland, culminating in a 50-hectare area being acquired by the Finnish Natural Heritage Foundation named The Blue Forest.

‘I was really drawn to make any kind of noise, my mother has told me that all the brothers were always trying to make some noise somehow!’

Given how big a part music was of his family, it’s not surprising that von Hertzen starting playing the piano before his fifth birthday: ‘We had a piano and I tended to like going there and playing it, although, of course, my playing didn’t make any sense! Then my mother and my father thought that maybe it would be good to put the other guys to learn how to play! I was really drawn to make any kind of noise, my mother has told me that all the brothers were always trying to make some noise somehow (laughs). Especially me, I was always singing, from toddler age. As a kid, I was always explaining what I was doing by singing what I was doing! That’s when my mother felt we should go to a musical kindergarten – we have those in Finland. Slowly, slowly, we started getting into these band instruments. Our father had a guitar at home, so we wanted to learn the chords. We’d be: “How is this song? Can I sing and play this song?” In seventh grade I got my first drum kit and then I spent all my time just drumming after that!’

Their musical upbringing was initially influenced by whatever their dad would bring back from his business trips: ‘He went to America and he went to the U.K. for business. He brought us back Queen albums, the Pink Floyd albums, ZZ Top, Lynyrd Skynyrd and AC/DC albums. Our father wasn’t a professional musician but he played American southern rock with our uncle. Once we went to high school, we were really into more technical stuff, like the prog bands of the 70’s, like Yes and Pink Floyd. I would say that for me, personally, maybe the biggest influence has been Led Zeppelin, because I was a drummer back then, so I really liked John Bonham’s heavy drumming!’

‘Wait for Me’ is the closer that you don’t see coming, an evocative, heart-on-your-sleeve piano ballad supported by delicate strings about what ifs: ‘There’s this feeling once you get older whereby you ask yourself: What would have happened if I’d chosen different paths? What if I’d chosen something else? We’re stood on those crossroads many times in our lives,’ he said. ‘We wanted to make it a fragile song about longing and questioning whether you’ve made the right decisions. You tell yourself that maybe you could go back and the situation could be positive again.’ The character in the song asks himself those very questions and is trying to track down someone he once loved to send her a letter. They deliberately leave his dilemma unresolved, we never learn in the course of the song whether the letter is sent. I tell him that I’d prefer it to be resolved and that I’m rooting for a happy ending for them and he laughs: ‘We all have situations where we have words that were unsaid, when you want to tell someone that they meant so much to you,’ he said. ‘This song needed to feel really real. After that, you feel that you can close the book in your hands. It’s a beautiful, fragile song with a beautiful message. I would like to feel that it gives people hope, that it leaves the back door to their story open. If it makes someone think: “I should contact that person, maybe I will send that letter” then we’ve achieved everything we wanted it to do.’

Von Hertzen is mulling which musician he’d most like to go for a drink with: ‘Well, I have so many idols but I don’t think Freddie Mercury would even want to have a drink with me (laughs), so I would probably go and have a pint of beer with Chris Cornell because when I was starting to sing, he was my biggest hero because I really love his vocals. Grunge – and especially Soundgarden – was such a huge influence when I was 18 years old. I would actually just chat about his spirituality because it was such a waste that he died. If I could take back time, I would go and talk to him a little bit about philosophy.’

Ultimately, with this record, they are trying to send out a message of hope: ‘We live in an age of constant change where everyone is trying to find a secure footing in life, sometimes full of joy and sometimes filled with utter disappointment,’ he said. ‘Amid all that, the trick is to stay alert and lean on one another. After the pandemic, and now as the world has once again opened up, we have somehow felt lighter in our everyday lives. We acknowledge the contradiction, of course, since the world, with its horrors, hasn’t changed much. It would have been easy to drown in those doomsday moods but writing these songs, we felt the need to tackle these problems from a more forgiving and positive standpoint.’

Yet even as a rockstar on the road, things don’t always go to plan, as he recounts humorously: ‘When our tour bus broke down in the Bulgarian countryside, there was nowhere to go for a morning dump but in nature. The problem was that it was very hilly on both sides of the broken bus and in order to have some privacy and keep our balance, we had to grab a branch of a tree while squatting for the procedure (laughs). I finally fell on my knees and almost landed on my own shit – shit happens!’

(Top photo from left to right: Mikko, Kie and Jonne. Photo credits: Ville Juurikkala.)