Jasmin Saarela, the mystical frontwoman for Finnish psych/occult rockers Jess and the Ancient Ones, has steped into a whole new realm with her solo band Jess by the Lake. Saarela’s first solo album Under The Red Light Shine is a stripped down effort that showcases her incredible ability to hold her own as a songwriter in her own right. Her voice shines so brightly through the murky, dark undertones of the songs while maintaining her now distinct, signatur vocal style.
As for the video for the title track, it was lensed in an old dancehall in a forest in Northern Savonia, Finland’s famous Lakeland. The dancehall was abandoned, having been used in the ’60s and ’70s for people to enjoy Finnish Schlager music while enjoying the local brew — likely a Sandels in the mid-to-late ’70s — under the ceaseless summer sun. The theme of the video was derived from the context of the lyrics, which director Jarkko Mikkonen, who was given full creative control by Saarela, says, “For me ‘Under The Red Light Shine’ song portrays themes of regret, sadness and sense of loss but there is also a good amount of purging energy, even rage that is being released. Video gives room for enigmatic Jess and the band to convey their magick. There is also narrative which winks its eye to Nick Cave’s and Kylie Minogue’s classic ‘Where The Red Roses Grow’ video and in a sense ‘Under The Red Light Shine’ is a reversal of the roles. So, there is death in obscure circumstances involved!”
Check out Jess By the Lake’s video for “Under The Red Light Shine” right here!
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