Personal Trainer

Dutch collective Personal Trainer share their irresistible new single “Intangible,” the first taste of the band’s yet-to-be-announced second album, which will be released this summer via Bella Union. They’ve been quickly rising in the UK and Europe, and are sure to make a similar mark on US audiences in the months to come.

Personal Trainer create songs that sound like all your favorite indie rock luminaries jam-packed into big-beaming pop psalms. Willem Smit is the epicenter of the group, which originated from impromptu and exhilarating live shows featuring ever-shifting members of different local bands sharing a bustling stage. They released their first full-length LP, Big Love Blanket, towards the end of 2022. That album’s fresh pop sensibility and adventurous production values created excitable, bright, and bracing pop songs, all well-honed from the stage. Acclaim from the likes of Marc Riley on BBC Radio 6 Music, MOJO, Clash, DIY Mag, Under The Radar followed, as well as a support slot with BC Camplight in 2023, and a slew of European, UK and US festival appearances.

New single “Intangible” erupts from a rising synth line into spry indie-funk pop, where Smit’s innate melodic instincts light the way into new and uncharted territory for Personal Trainer. As Willem explains: “I tried to make a song that is something I wouldn’t normally do and experiment with that. I like how it turned out because it’s also probably one of the first instances where I had the chorus first and the other parts later, which rarely happens.”

Next month Personal Trainer will hit the road with their labelmates Pom Poko for a co-headline tour which includes a performance at the Electric Ballroom in London. Summer festival appearances include Green Man, Lowlands and more. Their nascent state-of-flux has cemented into a steady seven-piece; along for the ride with Smit are Kilian Kayser (percussion), Leon Harms (drums), Mart Boumans (guitar/sax), Franti Maresova (guitars/vocals), Ruben van Weegberg (bass), and Abel Tuinstra (keys/synths), but Willem still welcomes the contrast with his recorded work. “When I make the record, it’s me calling the shots. But I can’t tell everyone exactly what to do every second when we’re on stage. There’s, like, shakers flying around or instruments being thrown all over the place, so I don’t have the capacity to control that. And that’s really exciting to me.”