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” and download it for free via the player below:

Zebra & Snake – Empty Love Song by Freeman PR

Download more free music from Zebra and Snake via their SoundCloud page, including a remix of Florrie’s “Call Of The Wild.”