More about: Personal TrainerHolm Front

Personal Trainer, the Dutch collective, mark their statement of intent in the form of ‘The Lazer’, their first release since signing on the dotted line for Sports Team’s label Holm Front, where they’re kept in good company by fellow good-time guitar boys Ugly.

One thing you should know about Personal Trainer is that they do things their own way. They want to bring a spontaneous energy to recording and performing live, achieved through constantly changing their lineup and rehearsing the bare minimum. That sense of adventure is something the band relish.

‘The Lazer’ oozes with a chaotic energy, yet there’s a general sense of languidness that’s also reflected in the lyrics  (“After finishing school you linger around about a year, eating your parents food and sleeping in their beds”), perfectly capturing the mundanity of youth and turning it into brilliantly irreverent lo-fi guitar pop. 

The track itself is joyously simple, and endlessly listenable. ‘The Lazer’ encapsulates all their do-it-yourself sensibilites, which are elevated by a slew of witty and wry lyrics and a knack for a big chorus. There’s nothing nuanced or pre-calculated about this lot, which is always refreshing. 

They’re amongst a flurry of brilliant bands emerging from the blossoming guitar scene in Holland: Lewsberg, Pip Blom and Canshaker Pi to name but a few, where there’s a vital sense of collaboration and mutual support. The visual accompaniment to the track compresses all this youthful, chaotic, collaborative energy into just under five minutes. You can watch it below: 

It’s unpretentious, accessible guitar music that’s - quite literally - open to everyone. Personal Trainer are a collective of musicians, with a constantly shifting lineup - which you can be a part of, if you so wish. The band are calling on potential members to “submit their resume and motivation to iwannabeinpersonaltrainer@gmail.com". 

"Personal Trainer started out as my home recording project," says songwriter and frontman Willem Smit, who’s also a member of Canshaker Pi. "Later the tracks were produced with Casper van der Lans (formerly of Pip Blom), who plays bass in the live band now. 

"Live, the idea is that we play my very basic, mostly two-chord songs with a big band and a changing line up. We don’t rehearse much, so most of the time we’re nervous and quite unsure of what’s gonna happen during a show, which makes it a lot of fun - at least for us..."

Personal Trainer emanate excitement, and we suspect their email inbox might be going a bit mad right now…

More about: Personal TrainerHolm Front