Today, Finnish band Claire Voyancé shares a hauntingly familiar blend of post-rock’s calm interludes and screamo’s raw urgency in a new 16-minute EP, a collection that has been three and a half years in the making.
The record, available digitally and on tape via Larry Records, is as much a testament to survival as it is to artistic persistence, closing out the week with a special feature here, alongside our today’s brief news on Chivala.
For the Finnish four-piece, this EP, crafted from years of change, frustration, and rebuilding, embodies the journey they’ve taken together since forming in 2019, capturing a progression that reflects their unyielding dedication to their craft.
“We recorded a whole full-length album during our first six months as a band,” they reveal.
“The album was eventually shelved and discarded due to our tastes in songwriting shifting more towards screamo and other aggressive styles of hardcore punk.”
Claire Voyancé’s story is a study in evolution—not just musically, but culturally. The Finnish emo scene was practically silent when the band emerged. Bands like Alas, Letterbombs, and Moshimoshi, as well as the now-defunct eight and Polemarch, stood as faint echoes of what was, only for new acts to rise and, gradually, reshape the landscape of Finnish emo and screamo from the ground up.
Claire Voyancé helped craft it.
The band’s first live show was shared with Alas and Moshimoshi at Helsinki’s Squat Makamik—a venue later gutted by neo-nazi arsonists.
This grim event didn’t stifle their momentum; if anything, it underscored the resilience and solidarity within their emerging scene.
More live performances followed, and with each show, Claire Voyancé developed a sound they describe as a “dreamy screamo soundscape.” Their journey led to a split with Alas, strengthening a bond between the bands and anchoring Claire Voyancé’s presence in Finland’s screamo underground.
This persistence underpins “In Retrospect.”
The band spent two years writing, revisiting, and discarding attempts at recording this release.
“We wanted to create something we could be proud of for years to come,” they explain, describing their labor-intensive recording process that only found resolution in its third iteration.
This EP, recorded from 2023 to early 2024, stands as an amalgamation of screamo, hardcore punk, shoegaze, slowcore, and ambient influences. The sound is intentionally raw yet ethereal, aggressive yet laced with a dreamlike tension—a dichotomy that captures the essence of Claire Voyancé.
“Thematically, ‘In Retrospect‘ deals with change, and the pain that it brings with it,” the band reflects.
This sense of transformation permeates the EP, touching on changes in self, others, and inescapable life circumstances.
They didn’t set out to craft a concept album, but as they poured their personal “confused thought patterns” into each track, they realized these songs all came from a similar place.
The album’s visuals, drawn from old family photo albums, mirror the themes of nostalgia and resilience that course through their lyrics, where growth is as painful as it is essential.
“In Retrospect” was mixed and mastered by Oula Maaranen of Alas, giving the gritty rehearsal room recordings a new level of polish.
“The current state of the Finnish emo scene is beyond anything I could have ever imagined 5 years ago,” they share, expressing gratitude for the community that has formed around them.
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Valorinne Emo Fest, the largest emo show in Finland, saw Claire Voyancé perform alongside scene staples like eight, whose first performance in a decade was nothing short of cathartic.
“Eternal gratitude and huge shout out’s to: Alas, Letterbombs, Hauraus, Moshimoshi, Kärlekslösa, shakabrah!, Melinoë, piot., Aaltoja, Videonauhat and so on,” they note, “I’m sure I forgot so many others, but here’s a good bunch.”
The band isn’t preoccupied with future expectations but looks forward to what might unfold.
“None of us really know what the future holds for us or this band,” they admit, “all we hope for, is to be able to play with each other and share our love of music with likeminded people, release more music, travel to play in more countries and meet new friends.”
Claire Voyancé’s upcoming shows with Night Lives and Vainoa cap off this year’s journey, a year that has been equal parts introspection and celebration of Finland’s ever-evolving emo landscape. Be sure to stop by if you’re in the area.
November 29th – Fanny, Vaasa
November 30th – Tukikohta, Oulu
