in Reviews

Supreme synthpop

"It is easy to write about Sin Cos Tan as a kind of extension of Villa Nah, because of the analogue synths, drum machines and Paalosmaa’s voice drowning in melodrama. The truth is not as simple. The music is slippery pop that moves with mercurial flexibility, which makes it a kindred spirit to the nightly urban romance of The Chromatics."

Sin Cos TanSIN COS TAN: Sin Cos Tan
Solina Records SOL-020

Two artists who earned their merits elsewhere teamed up to form Sin Cos Tan. The forlorn voice of Juho Paalosmaa became familiar to Finnish music fans on electroduo Villa Nah’s debut album Origin (2010). The other half of Sin Cos Tan, Jori Hulkkonen, is one of those names impossible to avoid, when discussing Finnish electronic music. That’s how ubiquitous the pioneering Hulkkonen seems.

It is easy to write about Sin Cos Tan as a kind of extension of Villa Nah, because of the analogue synths, drum machines and Paalosmaa’s voice drowning in melodrama. The truth is not as simple. The music is slippery pop that moves with mercurial flexibility, which makes it a kindred spirit to the nightly urban romance of The Chromatics.

Despite its brand-new surface, the album’s heart beats, at times, to a decades old pulse, even of classic Detroit electro. The duo seems to execute its vision with amazing relaxation. In all its simplicity, the fine melodies and hooks follow one another. The listener is left with the job to enjoy this fantastic album.

Timo Harjuniemi

Translation: Jonathan Mander