Sumu started as a two-piece in 2022, when drummer Juspu teamed up with guitarist Eero to hammer out hardcore punk stripped down to bass, drums, and a no-frills recording in a single take.
They both had spent years in social and healthcare jobs—an endless source of frustration and fury that led them to coin the term “sotecore” for their relentless barrage of fast riffs and raw lyrics.
Their hometown, Tampere, has always been a hotbed for hardcore, drawing from decades of underground energy that goes all the way back to local legends like Kaaos and Riistetyt.
Sometime after the duo’s first scratch demos, health complications forced a hospital stay for Juspu. From that hospital bed, the plan was simple: record and play gigs.
A bassist and vocalist had to be found, so they recruited old friends: Anton on vocals and Maissi on bass. With everyone packing 20+ years of band experience, Sumu hit the Hardkoree Ranch-studio in December 2024, emerging with a four-song EP that blasts through the collapse of Finnish social and healthcare, raging wars, our strained bond with nature, and the numbing indifference that keeps creeping in under a right-wing government.
Sumu has made enough noise in Tampere to land the label “all-star band,” since each member has played in other well-known local groups. 2025 brings their first shows, a shot at local festivals, and more of that venomous hardcore they call sotecore.
The new EP cover is their “Black Album,” and might appear reversed next time. For a taste of Sumu’s message—government cuts, war frustration, a beastly humanity—check out the band’s track-by-track breakdown below, where they tell the stories behind each furious cut.
They also talk about life in Tampere’s underground, the local clubs, and a shoutout to hometown heroes Vapaa Maa, Hullu!, Nyrkkitappelu, and Hautaustoimisto, who all channel that same gritty spirit. Scroll on for all the details straight from the source.
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Track by track
“Our first EP was released on December 27, 2024 and it includes four songs in Finnish.” – comments the band.
“The songs tell you a story about the collapse of Finnish social and healthcare, our frustration against the raging wars, the crooked relationship between humans & nature, and last but not the least, about the increasing indifference in our society caused by our right-wing government and their decisions.
Tapatte Meidät (You’re Killing Us)
This was the very first song me and Juspu played back in 2022. It hasn’t changed at all and it has all the “classic” hardcore punk elements: distorted bass, raw vocals, fast drumming, blazing guitar solo and “the slow part”. This song tells about how our governments decisions cause only aggressive children, headless bodies and how they eventually kill the Finnish people with their austerity policy.
Tuhkakuvia (Pictures of Dust)
This also originates from the “duo”-sessions. This one has a nickname in our band and it’s called “RATM”, because the intro riff sounds like a Rage Against Machine song. We added singalong chorus and Zeke-sounding part along the way. I’ve heard thousands of hardcore punk songs and I’ve never heard a song which has this kind of singalong chorus. That’s cool and we’re looking forward to play this song live. The lyrics tell you a story about how we hate wars and how we hate when people don’t respect the nature. The chorus says that the world is on fire and how the world will eventually drown.
Peto (Beast)
Fast and quite traditional Sumu song which is really fun to play. The structure is quite simple and straightforward which makes this song a killer in our live set. The verse is quite strange because it has this peculiar chord pattern which will haunt you for days. I also accidentally added some skate punk stuff in the chorus because I love skate punk and the simple, yet melodic octave guitar leads. This song is about how human is the worst beast on this planet.
Vaihda Planeettaa (Change the Planet)
The newest song which found its final form just a few days before the recording sessions in last December. Quite meaningful song because this is the first song where Anton contributed the lyrics all by himself. We actually heard the lyrics first time when we recorded this song. This song has easily the best guitar riff I’ve ever written. The lyrics tell you a story about how people only take care of themselves nowadays and why someone can leave a child in a freezing cold weather.
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