Simon Svoboda, the Australian-Finnish musician, invites us to share in the Finnish winter with his new EP, Kaamos.
The five-track collection is named after the time of year in Finland when the sun barely rises, a period Svoboda describes as both “truly beautiful and eerie.”
Each track on Kaamos captures this duality, blending the serene and the sinister to create a soundscape that feels as immersive as a snow-covered forest.
Svoboda’s classical background and influences like Thom Yorke, Yann Tiersen, and Arvo Pärt shine through, bringing a haunting minimalism to his music.
As he sips coffee in his Finnish home and writes string quartet arrangements, Svoboda reveals how the dark beauty of Kaamos reflects his love-hate relationship with the Nordic winter, offering a deep, resonant experience for his audience.
Happy: What are you up to today?
Simon: Today I’m heading to my friend Liam’s place – we are going to write some string quartet arrangements for a Swedish artist’s upcoming album. And drinking coffee of course.
Happy: Tell us a little about where you live, what do you love about it?
Simon: I’ve been based in Finland for the last 5 years, it’s a really great place to live in so many ways.
I love many things about it, but mainly the music scene is so insanely pumping for such a small country!
Happy: Who are your biggest musical influences, and how have they shaped your sound?
Simon: I guess I have many influences, but I often get told that my voice resembles Thom Yorke’s. As a long-term Radiohead fan, his singing has certainly influenced me in some ways.
Recently, I have also been getting into Yann Tiersen’s music. For instance, his track ‘Porz Goret’ is incredibly melancholic, and I find that my own music has taken on a similarly somber tone.
However, one of my biggest influences for this EP would have to be Arvo Pärt. As a classical musician who has played in orchestras extensively, I feel like (quite often) we play music that can feel overly complex at times, with a million notes that don’t necessarily say a lot.
Pärt, on the other hand, has a unique ability to create music with a lot of space, yet still express so much.
My music doesn’t sound like his, but his minimalistic approach has deeply inspired me.
Happy: What drew you to explore the theme of Kaamos, the Finnish winter period, in your EP?
Simon: Living in Finland definitely has its challenges. The first winter I was here was pretty brutal, getting used to the darkness etc.
But as I’ve been here longer, the darkness is still tough, but I have started to see the hidden beauty of this season. I sort of have a love/hate relationship with winter in this country
Happy: How does your background in the Finnish classical scene influence your music?
Simon: There is lots of Finnish classical music that is just, really dark.
For example, if you listen to Jean Sibelius’ 4th Symphony, there is so much darkness in it – to me it is a great representation of Finnish resilience, and I always see images of bleak Finnish winter landscapes when I hear it.
I tried to achieve this same feeling in my music, attempting to emulate the different aspects of winter.
Happy: Can you walk us through your creative process?
Simon: I’ve written my songs fairly quickly so far. Typically, I start with an initial idea or a chord progression, and from there, the rest just seems to fall into place as I experiment with different versions and ideas.
Once I have a rough outline, I record the song on my phone and listen to it over the next few days.
This helps me to find some clarity on what I like and don’t like, and then go from there.
Happy: What do you hope listeners take away from the experience of listening to ‘Kaamos’?
Simon: I just hope that people enjoy it and resonate with it in their own way!
Happy: How does receiving the 2024 scholarship from the Finnish Art Foundation’s Koneen Säätiö impact your future plans as an artist?
Simon: It was a really nice surprise! I didn’t expect to get selected as there was such a small percentage of projects that received funding, but the scholarship really helped me to create this EP with more freedom.
For example, I was able to add a recording session with my friend and colleague William Häggblom, who plays the organ on my track ‘Halla’.
Happy: What’s next for you, now that ‘Kaamos’ is out in the world?
Simon: I plan to start playing live shows, beginning in Finland – but I would also love to bring my project to Australia.
I have a few tracks ready to record for my next record (hopefully a full album), so I need to start brainstorming some ideas with my sound engineer and producer Joel Ward about this.
Happy: Lastly, what makes you happy?
Simon: Family, friends and my new puppy Henry! Also drinking coffee, listening to good music and surfing really badly.
