Mumrunner

Finnish dream pop band Mumrunner defined their sound with a strong sense of melody that ran through even their noisiest moments. Weaving this melodic sensibility through psychedelic shoegaze guitar tones, the band progressed from rowdy beginnings to their more refined debut album, 2020's Valeriana. Mumrunner was founded in Tampere, Finland in 2014. Made up of bassist Kati, drummer Juuso, singer Jukka, and guitarist Sauli, the band made an ethereal yet aggressive kind of dreamy melodic rock. After releasing a few songs online, they offered up 2015's Full Blossom EP and second EP Gentle Slopes in 2016. Throughout this phase of Mumrunner's output, they explored a classic shoegaze sound, with heavy drums and the occasional wave of feedback drifting through their otherwise careful songs. Midway through the recording of the band's first album, they underwent a massive lineup change, welcoming new drummer Senni and vocalist/second guitarist Michael. They continued recording new material and their sound took a turn toward something more refined when their debut album Valeriana finally surfaced in the spring of 2020. ~ Fred Thomas