Toisten Todellisuus compiles two 7”s by Helsinki, Finland’s Yleiset Syyt: their self-titled EP, originally released in 2019, and 2021’s Umpikujamekanismi. Despite members playing in well-known underground Finnish bands like Kohti Tuhoa and Foreseen, Yleiset Syyt has flown under the radar in the Anglophone world, with only a small fraction of their records’ tiny pressings making it outside Finland. Fortunately for you, the hardcore fanatics at Sorry State and La Vida Es Un Mus have our ears to the ground, and we agreed that a band this killer deserves a much wider audience. Yleiset Syyt’s sound is both blistering and anthemic, moving nimbly from full-throttle rippers like “Hygieeninen Ruumis” to tracks like “Hyväntekijä” and “Luovan Keskiluokan Takapihalla,” whose big chorus hooks could have anchored a Riot City or No Future a-side. The combination of ferocious performances and songwriting chops might remind you of older Finnish bands like Lama, Mellakka, and Appendix, but Minor Threat, the Fix, and Necros are equally apt comparisons.  If you like your early 80s-style hardcore tightly-wound, razor-sharp, and bristling with hooks, you’re gonna love Toisten Todellisuus as much as we do.

Side A recorded in Helsinki, February 2019. Side B recorded in Helsinki, March 2021. Recorded, mixed and mastered by Ville Valavuo. Artwork by Fetal Brain.

This is a split label release between Sorry State Records (US) and La Vida Es Un Mus (Europe).