Q&A: Finding Jens Hortling Step Into the Light With “Blinds”
INTERVIEW
INTERVIEW
THERE ARE COLLABORATIONS THAT FEEL INEVITABLE, AND THEN THERE ARE THE ONES THAT QUIETLY RESHAPE THE ARTISTS INVOLVED - Finding Jens Hortling belongs to the latter. Bringing together singer Jens Hortling of The Toxics and musician-producer Lauri Eloranta of Damn Seagulls, the project began as a creative detour and quickly evolved into something far more intentional. Their debut single, “Cold Wind Blows,” released October 10, 2025, introduced a quieter, more expansive sound, a marked shift from the bands that first defined them, and made an immediate impression, bolstered by a striking live video recorded with a large ensemble.
Now, the duo return with “Blinds,” a more energetic and rhythm-forward preview of their forthcoming debut album, arriving this March via Humu Records. Where “Cold Wind Blows” lingered in atmosphere, “Blinds” pulses with movement, revealing another dimension of a project rooted in nuance, contrast, and careful world-building. Released alongside a music video directed by artist Tekla Vály, the single signals that Finding Jens Hortling is a fully realized collaboration stepping confidently into its own cinematic universe.
LUNA: Finding Jens Hortling brings together two artists with deep histories in other bands. What sparked the initial collaboration between the two of you, and how did it begin to feel like its own project rather than a side experiment?
LAURI ELORANTA: We have worked together in the past on various projects and one time in the studio Jens played me a song he had written and it was unlike any of the music he’d done previously. I remember saying to him right away that he should make a solo album with more nuanced material. We got back to it some years later and wrote five song ideas in one afternoon. That really kind of got the ball rolling and it was at that moment that it started to feel like a collaboration or a band instead of just a solo album.
LUNA: Your first single, “Cold Wind Blows,” introduced a quieter, more expansive mood. With “Blinds,” we hear a more energetic side of the band. What felt different in the room when this song came together?
JENS HORTLING: I was trying to learn to play the guitar and I was coming up with some crazy licks that I then sent to Lauri. He got excited about this one riff and embellished it a bit but we were still missing a chorus. We were vibing the Beta Band song “Dry The Rain” from High Fidelity and came up with this more upbeat pop chorus.
LAURI: First we thought it might be too much or even too jolly but felt after all that the album would benefit from a bit more variety. And also after the first single “Cold Wind Blows,” which is definitely more heavy and demanding, we wanted to show another side of the band.
LUNA: How do you see “Blinds” fitting into the larger emotional arc of the debut album? Was it always meant to be an early statement from the record?
LAURI: First we thought it might be too much or even too jolly but felt after all that the album would benefit from a bit more variety. After “Cold Wind Blows,” we wanted to show another side of the band and give the record more dimension.
LUNA: Jens, your voice has been central to your previous work. How has stepping into this new collaboration shifted the way you approach lyrics, melody, or performance?
JENS: Here I’m trying to find new qualities in my voice whereas The Toxics is always pretty full-on. Also the lyrics in general are more personal which in turn affects the way I sing.
LUNA: Lauri, as a producer and musician, how did you think about building the sonic world of Finding Jens Hortling? Were there any rules you set, or intentionally broke, when shaping these songs?
LAURI: Right from the beginning we seemed to have a mutual understanding of the world and mood of the record. A lot of the references that were thrown around were from the nineties but we were aiming for a more timeless feel nonetheless. We definitely approached each song as its own thing — trying to respect and listen to what they were wanting to be.
LUNA: The music video for “Blinds,” directed by Tekla Vály, has a striking visual language. How did that collaboration come about, and what conversations shaped the final video?
JENS: We had a promotional photo shoot with Tekla and we were trying out all these crazy ideas and different characters because we wanted to see which ones would resonate with the music in the end. We didn’t end up using a lot of the photos but Tekla had a great idea to use all the material for a stop-motion video.
LUNA: Visuals seem to be an important extension of the music for this project. How intentional are you about the aesthetic world surrounding Finding Jens Hortling?
JENS: It’s really important for us and we want everything to fit together visually. We put so much effort into the music that it would have been incomplete without a cohesive visual side. For us the record is very cinematic and with the right kind of imagery it becomes something bigger.
LUNA: What has surprised you most about working together so far, either creatively or personally?
JENS: Definitely Lauri’s bass skills! He was postponing laying down the bass tracks for months and months and I was busting his ass about it. Then he finally did them all in like half a day!
LUNA: With your debut album arriving this spring via Humu Records, how are you feeling in this moment of anticipation? Does releasing a full album feel different than putting out singles?
LAURI: The whole time our focus was really on the album instead of just a collection of songs so it’s naturally exciting that people get to hear it how we wanted them to hear it! (Laughs) We are also preparing everything related to our live shows so it’s exciting to feel that everything’s coming together.
LUNA: If someone discovers Finding Jens Hortling through “Blinds,” what do you hope they feel compelled to listen for, or feel, when they dive deeper into the record?
LAURI: We hope that it surprises them and that it’s a good journey. Ultimately you always wish that they just want to play it again.
