“Cold Wind Blows” marks the official debut of Finding Jens Hortling, the artistic collaboration between Finnish singer Jens Hortling (The Toxics) and musician-producer Lauri Eloranta (Damn Seagulls). “Cold Wind Blows” doesn’t just introduce a new project; it opens a cinematic chapter rooted in memory, ancestry, and sound. The track captures the emotional tension of departure and longing, transforming historical echoes into something profoundly human.
Inspired by cassette recordings of Hortling’s grandfather, a soldier in the Finnish-Russian war, the duo used those personal fragments as the emotional backbone of the song. Yet “Cold Wind Blows” is a reflection on how conflict shapes families, identity, and the fragile hope that persists even when everything trembles. Through layered strings, choirs, and a hauntingly grand arrangement, the song becomes both intimate and universal.
“Cold Wind Blows,” your first release, tells the story of a man leaving behind war and his loved ones. How did the idea of telling that story come about, and what inspired you emotionally when co-writing it?
Lauri Eloranta: We drew inspiration on a lot of the album’s lyrics from Jens’s family roots. Jens had old cassette tape interviews of his grandfather that became sort of a gateway to another world.
Jens Hortling: My grandfather and his brother fought in the war between Finland and Russia that happened in 1939-1945, and the song’s atmosphere felt like a good fit. Still, we tried to make the song lyrically universal enough so that it doesn’t become just a “war song.”
In these times, what message or reflection do you think this song leaves behind?
LE: Well, certainly; unfortunately, these themes are current. We tried to touch on something personal and give details on the lyrics to sort of paint the picture of how the war affects the individuals and families as well.
Your music has always carried a cinematic touch, but in “Cold Wind Blows,” there’s an epic, almost choral weight to it. What was the production process like to achieve such a powerful atmosphere?
LE: It had been a while since I used strings on my productions, and I felt like it was time to bring ’em back. Less is often better, but here we gave ourselves permission to let the song be as big as it wanted to.
JH: You could say that the orchestral bloom and boom towards the end of the song reflect the sound of the war. We recorded some stuff in the long hallway of the building the studio is in to get that echo-y sound. Also the basic tracks of the song were done with just drums and piano playing together in the same room, and the original take was much longer—kind of a jam—from where the final structure was edited down.
The live video features an impressive setup with a full orchestra in a horseshoe formation at Berghyddan, Helsinki. How did the idea come about? What was that experience like, both emotionally and technically?
JH: It was a really emotional experience to hear the song finally played live in front of you, since on the album a lot of it was overdubbed, and even with the strings, it was one violin and cello recorded multiple times.
LE: It was kind of nerve-wrecking since it was the first time we played with the whole big band, and there was a lot of effort and preparation that went into the whole production, so it had to be good or else it would have been just useless. The core of the band, basically the rhythm section, had rehearsed before, like maybe six times. It’s crazy that the take on the video is the second take.
JH: It was crazy that we pulled it off! And it was really moving also that all those people got involved to build something like this. We couldn’t be more thankful. And it felt like everybody had a blast and felt like they were doing something special.
Jens, your career with The Toxics was more raw and direct, while Finding Jens Hortling sounds more introspective and orchestral. Would you say this marks a point of artistic maturity for you?
JH: Yes. (Laughs)
LE: I knew that Jens had a great voice that could also do other styles than just garage rock etc but he just didn’t really have that outlet. So we decided to make one!
Finally, what do you hope listeners feel when they hear “Cold Wind Blows”? What emotion or reflection would you like to leave in those who watch the video or listen to the song for the first time?
JH: Who am I really to say? I’ve gotten amazing messages from friends and strangers as well, and it feels like everybody has a different take on it, but those who like it REALLY seem to like it.
LE: For some reason you’re not supposed to say stuff like this, but we both really do want to impress people with this stuff, both the song and the video. We took chances and didn’t just play it safe, and we put a lot of effort into it, a lot of soul. So we damn well want people to see and hear that.
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