On more than one occasion I’ve described a new song I’ve heard as being “in search of a John Hughes soundtrack,” or some variation on that filmic association. It’s truly one of the highest musical compliments I can pay, even if there’s a risk of it becoming overused, or worse, cliché.

Alternately, I might instead opt for “OMD-esque,” which is certainly the case for “Empty Love Song,” from Helsinki, Finland’s Zebra and Snake. Childhood friends Tapio and Matti consider music an “artistic form of therapy,” a sentiment with which I’ve got no argument, and one I’m sure the late director Hughes would have seconded without hesitation.

A tale of lost love awash in synths, “Empty Love Song” builds in intensity over its nearly five-minute length. It’s set to appear on Zebra and Snake’s debut album, Healing Music, out next year. Listen to “Empty Love Song” below:

Free download of Zebra and Snake – “Empty Love Song” via their SoundCloud page, plus more free music, including a remix of Florrie’s “Call Of The Wild.”