Singer-songwriter Ché Aimee Dorval has teamed up with producer and multi-instrumentalist Farkosten(Mattias Eklund) to release “Missä Muruseni On,” a cover of a Finnish pop song originally recorded by Jenni Vartiainen. The track debuted on SoundCloud today with the tag #chilled out siren songs, though it is unknown if it is the name of an upcoming project.
This track was originally a request made by one of Dorval’s fans overseas, as part of a pre-order deal she made with her last album. Dorval explained that she originally planned on making the song available to that fan, who is named Tero, however her attitude changed when she started recording the track.
“I wasn’t really planning on doing anything with it past sending it to Tero but when Mattias Eklund heard it it really struck a chord with him,” Dorval explained in an email sent to mxdwn.com. “Within days of hearing it, he sent me back the track with some beautiful cello and guitar viola on it and we went from there.”
This track is sung in English, with its lyrics slightly adapted from its original Finnish so that it can flow “more poetically,” in the words of Dorval. The track hosts layered production, featuring an eloquent guitar and string instrumentation, that evoke old Bond film scores and Portishead, which are complimented by Dorval’s soulful vocal delivery.
While Dorval recorded the track months ago, it took time to gain clearance to use the cover and properly record it in Los Angeles. The singer added that she is working with Farkosten on more projects, that will likely be released in the future.
“It took a long time to get in touch with the original writers and get their permission to release it so for the past 6 months we’ve just been experimenting and playing with it,” Dorval elaborated. “Last spring we went to LA and visited Capital records where Mattias got to mess around with their mixing console and reverbs. It was a lot of fun. It’s our first song together and more is in the works.”
Dorval is best known for her work with Devin Townsend as one half of Casualties of Cool. This alternative folk band mixes in Townsend’s sensibilities with dark instrumentals and Dorval’s vocal styles.
The first Casualties of Cool album, which was released in 2014, was entirely crowdfunded, before being re-released again 2016, where it gained wider attention. The duo are teaming up again this year, and are in the process of recording an upcoming studio album.
In addition to this latest cover, Dorval has been releasing a multitude of other cover songs including Jeff Buckley’s “Grace,” which was released earlier this year. Other tracks covered included The Mars Volta’s surprise hit “The Widow.”
In 2017, Dorval released her solo album Between The Walls and The Window, an emotional neo-folk album that provided a unique insight to her songwriting. The artist cites Nick Drake, Cocteau Twins, Alanis Morissette and Cat Power among her major musical influences on her website.