On their first two albums, the Finnish duo of
Jessika Rapo and
Henry Ojala, aka
Burning Hearts, perfected the merger of indie pop (heart) and synth pop (head), casting the results in dark shades of heartbreak and sadness while still making sure that every song went down smooth as honey and was as filling as an unexpected letter from a sweetheart. That winning combination of icy synths, stately programmed drums, carefully played guitars, and
Rapo's warm-enough-to-melt-glaciers vocals is on full display on their third album,
Battlefields. They don't steer too far away from what made
Aboa Sleeping and
Extinctions so satisfying; if anything,
Battlefields is the most well-honed and focused album they've done. The balance of coldness and warmth is pitch-perfect, the songs' lyrics cut deeper than ever, and the songs feel like lost classics destined to break hearts and detail the ensuing fallout down to the tiniest details. It makes for a subdued listen for the most part; even the almost peppy reggae underpinnings of "Ticket" or the quick tempo of "Folie à Deux" can't shed much light on the subject. Only the '90s house beats and stuttering guitar licks on "Bodies as Battlefields" tip the scales (a little) in the direction of fun. Of course, the title is a none-too-subtle clue that the song isn't exactly about having a good time. For all the blues and greys that the album uses for color,
Battlefields isn't a downer at all. The sticky sweetness of the melodies, the cozy feelings
Rapo's vocals conjure up, and the absolute perfection in the way the duo fits all the synth pop pieces together keeps
Battlefields from being a teardrop festival. As with
Burning Hearts' other excellent albums, it's sad music for sure, but it's the kind of sad music that makes you feel good inside.