The Dutch band Personal Trainer seem to be making music that's all over the map. There's a unifying thread here and it's energy. There's a lot of pep and inventiveness on the group's new Bella Union record, Still Willing, and I found most of this long-player very engaging.
While some tunes like "Round" have a lopsided Pavement-y appeal, the Beck-ish "Intangible" more fully conveys the strengths of this collective. The white guy funk of that one is tolerable and very radio-friendly -- at least Sirius XMU-friendly, that is -- though lots of this record is not as obviously eager to please. Elsewhere, "I Can Be Your Personal Trainer" and "New Bad Feeling" tap into the sort of modest melodies of Elliott Smith and The Divine Comedy in the service of selections that are downright charming. And exceedingly well-considered and put together too.
Lots of this Personal Trainer record is quite good. In fact, I'd urge anyone in search of catchy indie-pop to seek this one out. It feels like this sort of thing was far more common in alt-rock circles a few decades ago, but it's not as easy to find now. In that sense, Still Willing by Personal Trainer is a darn rarity in the current era. So here's your notice to check this out as soon as you can.
Still Willing by Personal Trainer is out this week on Bella Union. More details via the Bandcamp link below.
[Photo: Tom van Huisstede]