Biography
Formed in 2004, the sophisticated synth pop duo Burning Hearts brought together Finnish indie pop veterans Jessika Rapo, Le Futur Pompiste’s vocalist, and Henry Ojala, drummer for Cats on Fire. Their sound blended the two projects into a warm, wispy texture that aligned with Shelflife Records’ early-2000s roster, which already featured Days, the Ruling Class, and the Radio Dept. The label issued the duo’s debut album, Aboa Sleeping, in early 2009, after which Rapo and Ojala embarked on live dates that included a first U.S. performance at New York City’s Cake Shop. Two singles appeared in 2010—“Night Animal” and a cover of Arthur Russell’s “The Letter”—before the pair retreated to the Finnish countryside to cut the four-song EP Into the Wilderness, released by Shelflife in June 2011. Their darker second album, Extinctions, surfaced in early 2012 and explored themes of death and tragedy. A scattering of concerts followed in 2013, among them a slot at the Island in the Sun festival on the Åland Islands, while studio work continued. The first results emerged in mid-2015 with the track “Ticket,” later remixed by Lee “Scratch” Perry; a pair of hometown shows rounded out the year. The duo stayed silent until 2016, when “Work of Art” arrived. Both songs were gathered on the third album, Battlefields, which Solina Records put out in May 2017.
Albums
