Electronic upstart Jaakko Aukusti is making waves in his native Finland, and he’s looking to make the entire world take notice. His latest song “Oasis” is a good start. The 3-minute track is a vibrant work that evokes airs of Massachusetts stalwarts Passion Pit and other electropop bands—except Aukusti is a one-man-show.
The song opens with whimsical synths that sparkle in between his lyrical longings to ascend as “rockets shooting through the sky,” chasing a fleeting feeling of ecstasy. A charging bass guitar backs Aukusti’s gentle, lithe vocals during a sugar rush of a chorus.
“Oasis’” accompanying video came together conveniently, as Aukusti notes via e-mail that he “had no budget whatsoever,” but did have “access to loads of expensive camera and film gear.” He says the “climbing-up-the-walls” feel of the track inspired him to dance around in front of a green screen—which a reel of glitchy imagery and old cartoon clips were later added to.
What did Aukusti say his director’s instructions were?
“Just bang the drum as hard as you can, dude.” Aukusti is busy doing just that while developing his upcoming, as-of-yet-unnamed debut album.
