There’s this funny Dutch phrase that goes “mijn ei kwijt kunnen”, which quite clumsily translates to “unloading my egg”; it more or less means having an environment or activity where all your feelings, creativity and energy can unshackle as you see fit. For the past 10 years, Willem Smit’s eggs found their baskets within Personal Trainer, the restlessly creative Dutch indie rock stalwarts who have gradually risen up from Amsterdam’s grassroots scenes to touring the world as part of the roster of distinguished record label Bella Union.
One of Smit’s bigger decisions with the recording of their new album ‘Human Assholes’ was to make the acoustic guitar the starting point. And even more importantly, pen the songs in a physical room with the rest of the band instead of cutting and pasting stuff behind a screen.
Three years of non-stop touring brought Personal Trainer to a freeing realization: no song is ever final, and no show is ever the last. “I think this is where a large part of the band's spirit comes from. We don't have to handle things with kid gloves, we don't have to frantically search for our sound. As a result, the show was always, in a sense, both a performance and a rehearsal for the next show. Now we were going to practice a lot with the group to record this album all together in six days. In the process, we actually did a more precise/focused version of how we normally prepare new songs for a performance.”
In their early days the group had a regularly rotating cast of musicians on stage and an eye for the ridiculous, becoming the first band to perform for 24 hours straight in Paradiso. 2022 saw the release of their self-released debut LP Big Love Blanket, followed by 2024’s Still Willing. Famed for their hyperactive, playful and inventive indie rock shows, the group have toured relentlessly, playing everywhere from Lowlands to SXSW, End of the Road to Iceland Airwaves and now have their biggest headline show to date at Amsterdam's Carré September 2026.
“Ripe with casually confident songwriting that bursts with spirit and enthusiasm.” - Pitchfork
“Full of craft and invention.” - MOJO
“Fabulously eclectic...” - UNCUT
