Sara – Hallava

On January 17, 2025, Sara released their highly anticipated tenth studio album, Hallava, marking a historic milestone for the band. The title “Hallava,” translating from Finnish to “pale,” “pale gray,” or “frosty,” perfectly encapsulates the bleak, wintery atmosphere of the record.

Released under their independent label, 6162 Viihde Oy, Hallava represents both a structural and a creative departure from their previous decade of work. Notably, the record is the first since 2011 to utilize an external producer, with the band collaborating with Tuomas Kokko at Electric Fox Studios in Jyväskylä. This production choice injected a pristine, highly structured dynamic into the band’s soundscapes, refining their signature blend of heavy walls of distortion and dreamy, post-rock atmospheric passages.

Musically, Hallava achieves a unique synthesis of the band’s multi-decade history by reintroducing heavy, low-tuned guitar riffs while preserving modern, ethereal synth arrangements. Stylistic parallels exist with contemporary heavyweights such as Sleep Token, VOLA, and HIM, characterized by the interplay of three distinct guitars and lush keyboard textures handled by Marko Kivelä and lead vocalist Joa Korhonen.

I remember I first discovered Sara through a song called Avaa Se Ovi. It first struck me the resemblance to Bjork’s Army of Me. However, I find Sara’s song more refined in terms of tempo, rhythmical balance and finesse. Also it has a more melodic touch to it and, therefore, it has a life of his own, far from being a clone of the mentioned song.

Have a try with this album and you will be looking for their older albums, on which you may find some really nice gems.