Sometimes I wonder what the point is of writing about cool stuff you find. I wonder if anyone actually reads the words, and I certainly wonder whether anyone ever listens to the stuff little blogs like mine write about. Mostly, I find myself opening the email account linked to the blog and feeling instantly overwhelmed (and more than a little depressed) by the sheer amount of generic emails in the inbox. I worry about the amount of music being released, and the amount of time and money people are clearly spending on it. I think about the PR people that send the emails and wonder about what they make of it all. I know that their heart can’t be in it. How could it be? It all starts to feel futile very quickly.

But then, one Tuesday morning in March, you click on Outlook and see a name hovering in the inbox that you recognise. You really liked the stuff you heard before… in fact, you bought a CD on Bandcamp and they kindly sent two others as well. They were both as good as the one you ordered. For a while you were kinda obsessed with how much one of them sounded like it belonged next to Rubber Soul. Anyway, you open the email and there’s none of that posturing nonsense you usually see, no mention of followers, nothing about streaming numbers, no sign of any expectations of something in return. It’s just an understated hi, and a link to something new.

The email is from Matti Jasu, a Finnish singer songwriter that I wrote about a good five years ago at least, and the new thing is a track named Doing Donuts, introduced in the email as a song that “started out as a guitar riff and ended up being a pocket symphony.”  It instantly feels like it’s something I’ve always known, but essentially that’s kind of what Jasu’s M.O. is. He picks and chooses shiny little slithers of pop gold and, through some strange alchemy, brings everything together. His approach is reminiscent of Beck’s late-90s records, or Soft Bulletin/At War with the Mystics-era Flaming Lips.

I know it’s a ridiculous cliche to say what I’m about to say, but I’ll write it because it’s true: each time I’ve listened, there’s been some small detail that I didn’t pick up on before. It’s brilliant. The swagger of the looped drums, the economical – almost forensic – guitar parts, the string flourishes, and the chorus that’s strangely melancholic and exuberantly optimistic at the same time. There’s a lot going on, but through inspired decisions in the arrangement and excellent taste, it feels effortless. Oh, and effortlessly cool as well. I mean, if there’s any point in writing about new music in 2026, then it’s stuff exactly like this that makes it worthwhile. I like that the same DIY approach that’s in Jasu’s music also extends to the visuals too, with the video – made with an iPhone, some toy cars, and a few lamps – perfectly capturing the vibe of the tune. I’m a fan. Go listen, and check out his magnificent back catalogue on Bandcamp while you’re at it. I look forward to hearing more.