There must be something in those icy fjords. What else can explain the great surf music that has come out of Finland?

In recent years, instrumental bands like the Regents, Beatmakers, and especially Laika & the Cosmonauts have rejuvenated the once-dormant genre. Before packing in a two-decade run in 2008, the latter was the world’s best quasi-surf band of the past 40 years. Now, Helsinki’s Doltones are ensuring their place among Scandinavian bands with a third release since the 2017 debut Dance Or Die.

They and the other Finns’ style melds American surf with “rautalanka,” referring to a style of instrumental rock popular in the early ’60s. It basically sounds like the Ventures and even moreso like the Shadows, whose influence is still strong, globally. The Doltones’ instrumentation is the same, with lead guitarist Hannu Kononen spearheading a quartet with drums, bass, and rhythm backing.

Kononen is also responsible for the set of originals that, like the Cosmonauts’, focuses on melody and composition, not just “surfy” riffs – though “Stiffy Stuff” mines the latter winningly. He relies on a clean tone without excessive reverb or delay, as on the lovely “Indico Sky,” while “Deeper Swell” is majestic, baritone-driven spaghetti Western.

This article originally appeared in VG’s February 2024 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.