Finnish trio Pooma brandish their relationship scars on the dark electronics of "Flock of Cranes"

Having released music under various guises, the trio of vocalist Tuire Lukka, Joonas Hakava and Antti Ojala (instruments and production) formed as Pooma and their debut "Flock of Cranes" throbs with dark pleasures.

The track stutters into life with a metallic bass line over various synth hums and a pulsating 4/4 beat. Treated and pitch-bent vocals hint at a Fever Ray influence; there's a hint of heaven about Lukka's voice (especially when she adopts a tone recalling a choir sighing in unison) but that ladder is kicked away the overwhelming sense of impending peril.

“The song is about being in a relationship that was scarring," explains Pooma. "As things start to reveal themselves as they actually are, it forces you to open your eyes and you feel trapped because there is still love there. You come out wiser but also more careful. The other person has moved on, since it wasn’t as traumatising for that person, but you are still healing.”

There's no peaks or drops in "Flock of Cranes" which, alongside a nagging alarm sound just in the background, simply adds to the intensity of Pooma's vision. When the line "I'm not ready to move on" crystallises, it strikes hard, like a punch to the gut, a realisation this is a long road out of hell.