An emerging skate/pop punk band from Helsinki, Finland with catchy choruses and lyrics dealing with mental health, Radioactive Pineapple formed in 2014 at the deep woods of Nuuksio. They are heavily influenced by the California punk scene by bands such as: Blink 182, NOFX, Green Day and Alkaline Trio.
1. Introduce us to the band! What are your names and what do you do in the band? Where do you call home?
– Ozzie: Vocalist & guitarist since 2014. I’ll call any place home where I can do what I do. I’ll fucking live in a box if that’s what I must. For now I live in Matinkylä, Espoo.
– Jake: Bassist & vocalist since 2018. My home has always been and will always be Vuosaari, Eastern Helsinki.
– Thoubi: Drummer since 2014. Lives in Vantaa.
2. How long have you been together as a band and how did you find each other?
– Ozzie: Me and Thoubi have been playing since 2014. Thoubi was the only drummer that came to mind, so I hit him up on Facebook. There weren’t many people who were into music in our school, so I didn’t have too many guys to pick from. Our first day of practice was awkward as hell, and we barely knew how to play. But for some odd unexplainable reason we were insane enough to keep on going.
– Jake: We had known each other for a few years before we started playing together. In 2017 I asked Thoubi to fill-in for drums for my first band, Too Hot for Radio, a couple times, and after that band broke up we continued making music together in Stunted City. In 2018 Ozzie and Thoubi asked me to play the bass for a couple of shows for Pineapple and here I am still!
3. Do you have a special songwriting recipe you follow?
– Jake: Usually I’ll sketch something with my acoustic guitar but sometimes I might use the piano for the melodies as well. In the end I’ll record the song with sample drums and present it to the band.
– Ozzie: I’ll just pick any instrument I can get my hands on, and start to make sounds with my mouth. I often hum a melody or sing gibberish until I come up with some words. At the point when I find something worthy of saving, I’ll just simply record the idea on my phone. If I’m feeling extra special, then I’ll even record it on Pro Tools. I find that this workflow suits me best.
4. How would members of your family describe your music to someone that hasn’t heard it?
– Ozzie: I guess they would just say that we’re a punk band. My family’s not too much into punk. I’d figure they would mention that we have some pop elements, and that’s why we are even somehow listenable.
5. What do you have on your(Spotify) playlists you would be embarrassed for others to see?
– Ozzie: I don’t get embarrassed by music, I’d figure the other bandmates feel the same. I’ll fucking listen to anything with a well crafted arrangement. I’ll respect the artist even if it doesn’t suit my style.
6. Do you have any pre-show rituals?
– Jake: Nothing special, I used to smoke a cigarette right before getting on stage but I’ve quit so I obviously don’t do that anymore.
– Ozzie: I’ll warm up my voice a little and I’ll move and stretch a bit so I feel ready. I also try to hype myself up with some positive affirmations.
7. Who have you met that has left you starstruck?
– Ozzie: HA! I remember when Alkaline Trio came to play at Nosturi. I don’t remember the year, but the thing was that me and our ex-bassplayer Lari Nevalainen waited for the doors to open. We were the only ones waiting because we came like 4 hours before the show. I for some reason shot to the air this embarrassing drool and snot combo when I was laughing like a lunatic to some dumb joke. And then! Well fuck, of course the bassist and the drummer were like 3 meters from me, and I lifted my head. When I saw them I froze, but managed to let this noise from my mouth vaguely resembling the word “hi”. I could see Dan the bassist raise his eyebrow at me, and the drummer replied “sup, guys”. They then casually walked off to pick up coffee.
8. What do you consider your greatest achievement as far as a band?
– Ozzie: This moment, we’re still going strong. We have so many plans for the future, and I feel that we’re getting better and better with time, like a fine wine.
9. What key elements do you believe makes up a successful song?
– Jake: A memorable chorus with nice hooks, relatable lyrics and the chord progression C-G-Am-F.
10. When writing, how do you know when it is finally done?
– Jake: When I’m confident enough to record a demo of the song. However sometimes I’ll get fed up with it before I even finish the recording.
– Ozzie: I don’t know… It just kind of clicks for me. But sometimes if I’m doubtful, I’ll just make a hard choice and say that it’s done.
11. What song of yours are you most proud of?
– Ozzie: I’ll never be proud of anything I’ve done in the past. I’m a perfectionist, I’m always focused on what I can do better in the future. But I’m proud that I’ve actually released something, because that’s a whole different struggle I have. I’m almost embarrassed of my music, because my standards are set super high. But you have to release something at some point, so you can start building your brand.
12. Is it possible to be on the road and not eat junk food? How do you keep it leveled out?
– Jake: Not sure if that’s possible but haven’t really tried that since there’s no time for cooking on the road. When I’m home I’ll balance the thing by eating vegetable soup or something for a week or so.
– Ozzie: My weight constantly keeps going up and down. It’s so hard to have a stable eating pattern when busy. I tested the Keto Diet for a month, and it seemed to help me with most of my ailments. I’m not sure if I’m going back on it, or if I’ll find something else that’s more suitable for my lifestyle. You’ll be eating lots of cheese and tuna straight from the can while on the go with a Keto diet.
13. Are you able to write while on the road or do you need a calm familiar space like home?
– Jake: We’re not that much on the road and usually the trips are so busy that there’s no time for writing. So I write mostly at home. However it would be cool to retreat to the summer cabin with Ozzie some time and come up with some new ideas. We just haven’t had time to do that yet.
– Ozzie: I’ve managed to write some bits of lyrics, but otherwise we’re too busy when we gig. At the moment we don’t have to do too much traveling so it’s manageable, but I do wonder what the future will bring. I’m sure we’ll figure it out.
14. What’s the most embarrassing thing to happen on stage or on tour?
– Jake: We were doing an acoustic show at a private party at Pori. We had only played like 5 songs out of 13 or something when I really needed to pee. Luckily we were in the backyard of a house in the middle of nowhere so I just turned around and did the thing. However the guys still like to tease me for it.
– Ozzie: This was way before I had this band. I had a show with my school band, and our drummer bailed on us in the middle of a song, and I was so pissed that I fought a guy in the crowd. He was talking smack about us to my ex. Some good old teenage hormones kicking in.
15. What can BleachBANGS do to help you in any way?
– Ozzie: If you feel like it, you can share our work to anyone that might be interested in us. Otherwise than that, just keep being you and thanks for the interview.
16. How can everyone keep up with everything you have going on? Where can they get albums/merch?
– Ozzie: We’re on every major social media: Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, you name it! Merch and such will be dealt with soon! In the meantime you can listen to our music on: Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music etc. Also be sure to check out our PINEAPPLE MUSIC SESSIONS on Youtube. Peace!
