Interview: Finding Jens Hortling and the Weight of Memory Behind “Cold Wind Blows”

Finding Jens Hortling’s debut single, “Cold Wind Blows,” arrives as a fully formed world. A vast, orchestral lament on exile and memory, it is captured in a live video that places frontman Jens Hortling before a sweeping twenty-two-piece ensemble. The project is a collaboration between Hortling and producer Lauri Eloranta, shaped over many years and drawing from Nordic noir influences and deeply rooted familial history.

How did Finding Jens Hortling first come together?

Jens Hortling (JH): Finding Jens Hortling is my “solo debut,” but it’s also a collaboration between me and producer Lauri Eloranta (Damn Seagulls). Lauri is a dear friend, and we have in the past worked together with my other bands, The Toxics and Lazards. I think we first talked about making music together over ten years ago, but it all came together at the end of 2021 when we started the sessions for this record.

The name feels like part of the story itself. Were you trying to capture something personal, something elusive, or maybe both?

JH: You are correct. There are both sides there. It’s a somewhat intimidating thing making your first solo album, and you may come to think of things like, “Who am I?” etc., and also we were trying out different things and wanted the name to represent the “search.” We wanted it to sound like a movie or a book—something more exciting and inviting and something that pulled the whole thing together.

“Cold Wind Blows” carries a lot of emotional weight. Where did that story of leaving war and love behind begin for you?

JH: Some of the stories on the upcoming album were actually inspired by these old cassette interviews my grandfather did in the ’80s. These interviews opened up another world for us to explore, and it gave it a deeper vibe, even if we took some liberties. On Cold Wind Blows, the music evoked something in me that got me thinking of my grandfather and his brother, who fought in the war between Finland and Russia in 1939-1945. We didn’t want it to be solely just a “war song,” but a song of longing and sacrifice for a better life.

The live video is powerful, especially with Berghyddan behind you. Why choose that location?

Lauri Eloranta (LE): Well, first of all, the place had amazing acoustics that you really want when you have an orchestra like that playing behind you. There was also some great history; the place is an old youth organization house, and Finnish singer Georg Malmsten has also recorded there. What did it give you that a studio couldn’t? A basic recording studio would have felt too ordinary and official. The room you perform in definitely affects how you play, and we wanted the “backdrop” to be more interesting and atmospheric than just a generic recording studio.

Nordic Noir is mentioned as a visual reference. What does that mood mean to you, and how did you want it to shape the video?

LE: That term was used slightly jokingly, I guess, but there are definitely similarities there with a certain kind of darkness and melancholy, a sense of hopelessness.

This is your first single, but it already feels like a fully formed world. Is the rest of the album living in the same emotional and sonic space?

JH: Well, thank you. That was definitely our purpose—to have a common thread throughout the whole thing—like a well-written script. On “Cold Wind Blows,” Lauri made these beautiful string arrangements for the song, and we kind of went “all in” with this one. The rest of the album has some of that too, but there is also variation within the songs and production. But it really does feel like one “thing.”

Was there anything in the process—writing, recording, or filming—that surprised you?

JH: While I was away from Finland at one point, Lauri had done a choir for the song without telling me. So that was a nice, crazy surprise to hear! “…you did WHAT?!” He wanted to surprise me and really did.

Was there anything in the collaboration that pushed you into new territory, either musically or emotionally?

JH: Bands always have their thing that can be hard to break out of, but here, with just the two of us, we were allowed to try anything. That can be really freeing but also kind of interesting to find out where that journey takes you. We didn’t plan things too much too early and let the songs evolve in the direction they wanted to go. In the end, you sort of pull it together a bit to make everything fit.

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