Their name’s got an ominous sci-fi ring to it: Who’s this Underwater Society? When are they gonna wake up and what will happen when they do? The press release accompanying this third full length reveals little, but does state that Underwater Sleeping Society could easily be “the” indie band from Finland.

Produced by Kalle Gustavson Jerneholm of Swedish rock band Soundtrack Of Our Lives fame, ‘The Dead Vegas’ is an effective collection of – often dramatic – bittersweet indie pop songs, rich on Weltschmerz and touching on the same indie nerve as UK acts like Editors and Doves with peaks in grandiose ‘Counting Stars’, semi-psychedelic ballad ‘Body Blues’ with its spacey chorus and power-pop gem ‘Painting The Dead’.

Lyrically the Helsinki six-piece are not the happiest bunch around (a natural consequence of living under water, I’d think), with bad love the main theme. Opening song, ‘Saw You At My Funeral’, is a narrative account of singer, guitarist and principal songwriter Okko Nieminen’s own funeral, while ‘Accidents’ tell of an unfortunate incident involving a gun – perhaps as the ultimate result of love gone sour.

In spite of the bleakness, Underwater Sleeping Society is a very catchy acquaintance, completely secure in their expression and with a remarkable knack for the good chorus. Until another such band prove otherwise, they will be “the” Finnish indie band in this book.

Genre: Rock
Who: Underwater Sleeping Society
Title: The Dead Vegas
Label: Backstage Alliance
Year: 2008
Country: Finland
Language: English
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Recommended tracks:
Saw You At My Funeral – Body Blues – Painting The Dead – Counting Stars