The sparks that ignited The Northquakes were struck in the summer of 2015. Kari Starck was overflowing with ideas. Songs poured out of the restless songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, nearly driving him to the brink of madness. With a hard drive brimming with demos, the growing pressure of creativity demanded release. A seed had been planted.
It was time for something new. Putting a band together was no challenge. Kari enlisted his longtime collaborator and trusted drummer, Iikka Winter, and soon after, fellow musicians from his hometown in Oulu joined on guitars and keyboards.

It was in the spring of 2016, during their first recording session in Liminka, that the band found its name. Just as the first bass notes blasted out of the low-frequency amplifier, a far greater shockwave rumbled through the Bothnian Bay—a rare phenomenon at that latitude: an earthquake. Thus, with the modest Richter magnitude of 4.1, The Northquakes was born.
The search for the right singer proved more difficult, but in spring 2017, patience paid off. Coming from a hobbyist musician background, Elisa Espinosa’s unassuming yet compelling performance of a Tom Waits cover on social media caught Iikka’s attention. After a studio tryout, Kari was sold, and the search was over: the band had found a bold interpreter and sharp lyricist to give Kari’s instrumental demos a voice.

Over the next two years, the band wrote and recorded its debut album, Tears in Rain, which was released on May 17, 2019. Their sound at the time was described as “northern pop soul,” with influences ranging from reggae and funk to country and Britpop.
Since their first album, the band has undergone significant changes. During the long process of writing and recording their second album, their music has pushed genre boundaries, evolving into something singular, bold, and unmistakably their own. The band also welcomed new members: Seppo Salmi on guitar, Jaakko “Teiska” Teittinen on guitar and bass, and Lauri Nurmela on keyboards—each bringing fresh energy, dynamism, and nuance to their sound.

Greetings from the End of the World is set for release on January 23, 2026. Ahead of it, the singles “Money Comes First” and “Chasing Shadows” will drop on September 12 and October 31, 2025, respectively.

More info: https://northquakes.com

Instagram: @northquakes 

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