A lot of excellent records from Belgian soil were released this year, of whichwe have already presented the twenty best to you, but a lot of good albumswere also released by our northern neighbors in 2022. The Dutch music scene isperhaps more booming than ever and the list of fine Dutch long players thatwere released this year was therefore very long. So it’s up to us to decidewhich ten of these are among the best of the year. It took quite a bit of painand effort, but we succeeded: here we present you the ten best Dutch albums ofthe past year!
10. Boudewijn de Groot – Wind feathers
When we heard that Boudewijn de Groot was going to release an album, wewondered how this would sound and what the man still had to tell us after somany years in the music world. A lot, as it turned out, because Wind springs_can be called one of his most personal, but also gloomiest albums. After a fewtough years and losing friends with whom he worked closely, de Grootsummarizes his story in this album. He complains in “Earth” and “Spring” andrecalls old memories with the fairly energetic “The Lady With The Dog”. He canstill touch us deep in the heart, as he does with “The More I Closer”. It isnot a very cheerful album, but _Wind springs shows once again that we canonly call Boudewijn de Groot a legend of the Low Countries. It is thereforemore than normal that this long player should not be missing in our top ten.
9. Banji – Freshcakes
While there’s no denying that the coronavirus has been a nuisance in severalways, the temporary standstill of the world has also led to good in somecases, such as Banji’s debut album. The foursome from Utrecht had enough timeto work on during the lockdowns Freshcakes. The debut is a very successfulindie pop album with fascinating, messy rock elements sprinkled through it.The record is bursting with ambition, energy and confidence, with songs thatare each catchy and playful. It is practically impossible not to get excitedabout songs like the excellent “Listen” and the catchy “Chills”, or to feelnothing at all about the fantastic build-up in “Maybe”. Banji has been namedas one of the greatest musical talents in the Netherlands for some time nowand by us with Freshcakes to deliver one of the best Dutch records of theyear, the quartet proves to be more than worthy of that title. The future forthe people of Utrecht is undoubtedly bright!
8. Beach Dog – Beach Dog
David Achter de Molen is no newcomer to the Dutch music scene. Five yearsafter the breakup of the band John Coffey, the man started to itch to makemusic again. He found a few new band members and that’s how Beachdog was born.On the self-titled debut album you can hear how hard the band can rock. Shedoes this with strong guitars, hard drums and the recognizable hard voice ofAchter de Molen. This success formula can be heard in the loud sing-along“Dog” and also on “Milk” the group shows that it can go hard. In addition torough songs, Beachdog manages to surprise us with an organ solo by Robin Pisoin the melodic “Good Morning”. The men hoped to fill a gap in the Dutch bandscene with this album and if it is up to us, the first steps have been takenwith Beach dog!
7. TAPE TOY – Honey, WTF
TAPE TOY has been working their way for several years now. In 2017, thetalented band won the Amsterdamse Popprijs, after which they scored a fewminor hits. When the world went into lockdown during the corona pandemic, themembers of TAPE TOY dived into an old farmhouse to make their debut album. Theend result, Honey, WTF , saw the light of day early this year and in themeantime the record has become one of our favourites. The bubblegrunge musiccomes on Honey, WTF expressed with solid guitar work and poppy sing-alonglyrics. Although the lyrics on the album can be quite dark at times, the songssound energetic and are easy to listen to. What also stands out for us is thevoice of singer Roos, because between the rough guitars her voice is very softand pleasant to listen to. TAPE TOY delivers with Honey, WTF a fine andaccessible album, which in our opinion should not be missing from end-of-yearlists.
6. Bongloard – People Overreacting To My Behavior
When we first saw the name Bongloard, we were immediately sold. A dash ofhumor that we could immediately link to the music that the trio bringsforward: garage fuzz rock. On debut album _People Overreacting To My Behavior_immediately shows the group that it is more than just that funny name. Songslike “Frenemies” and “The Gram” let the fuzz shoot lushly around, causing ourcaps to fly off and we head straight for a moshpit. The latter even ends in anexplosion of riffs that would make death metal bands jealous. In this way,Bongloard leaves no stone unturned with this debut. A dash of surf on “Dream”provides some extra dynamics, after which “The End” closes the album in afurious way. Strong debut, that’s for sure!
5. Joost – Friesland
Recently, the name Joost Klein is no longer unknown to many. The Dutch rapperconquered a lot of hearts in both the Netherlands and Belgium in a short time.He is known as an artist who makes very diverse music. One time it’s drum andbass, the other time trap and then techno again. We previously described hismusic as deadly honest and that is exactly what makes Joost Joost. It is alsoprecisely because of this that thousands of fans adore him. That honesty iscertainly reflected on Friesland , the album that includes “Music on hold”and “Florida 2009”. The mix of atmosphere and genres ensure that it is arecord that is anything but boring and also does a lot with the audience live.Just look at the images of “Florida 2009” on Pinkpop. It is therefore morethan logical that Joost with Friesland ranks fifth in our top ten.
4. Klangstof – Godspeed To The Freaks
With both the new ep oceanview as the long player Godspeed to the Freaks_on the shelves, 2022 was a productive year for Klangstof, the Dutch indie rockband around frontman Koen van de Wardt. The latter album in particular left astrong impression and the group effortlessly makes it into our top ten of thebest Dutch albums of the year. After all, on the album we not only hear a muchmore organic sound than we are used to from the band, the whole also sounds alot more mature. By building more calm layers into the songs, the rhythms andmelodies also get plenty of room to convince. After all, the honest andemotional lyrics ensure that _Godspeed to the Freaks comes in like acaptivating album; one with which Klangstof not only targets the head, butalso the heart.
3. Personal Trainer – Big Love Blanket
Personal Trainer has been making waves in the Dutch music scene for quite sometime (and beyond, given that we and the BBC are also big fans of the band),but a full-length from the seven-member company has been a bit delayed. Itfinally appeared earlier this year Big Love Blanket , with which theAmsterdammers proved to be worth the wait. If you’re looking for a cohesivemusical story, this isn’t the album for you, but Personal Trainer has neverbeen that sort of group. The charm of the band is precisely that it is just alarge and chaotic group of friends who like to make music; something thatcomes out very well on Big Love Blanket. It is a record that simply dripswith authenticity and Dutch sobriety and with which Willem Smit proves to be avery cool frontman, precisely because he just does his own thing and does nottry to live up to certain expectations. Personal Trainer gives us with BigLove Blanket one of the best Dutch albums of the year, and we can’t wait tosee what the future holds for this band!
2. MEROL – Consolation Prize
A few years ago, MEROL gained fame in the Netherlands with the playful “NICEWITH THE MEIDS”. After this hit, she did not sit still: some modest hitsfollowed and her participation in them The smartest person in the world_ensured that we in Belgium can no longer ignore Merel Baldé. On her debutalbum _Consolation prize shows MEROL that she is a keeper in the Dutch musicworld. Songs like “full” and “mixed signals” drag us to the dance floor, while”mixed shower” is a typical naughty song that only MEROL can make. In additionto danceability and mischievousness, the singer also convinces us with hervulnerability in “crying for nothing”. The diversity in her songs ensures thatthe album never gets boring and is therefore rightly one of the best Dutchrecords of the year.
1. S10 – I Will Exist Forever As Long As You Remember Me
2022 was a special year for S10. The singer has graced several major pop andfestival stages, participated in the Eurovision Song Contest through which shegained greater awareness among the mainstream audience and, in our opinion,released the very best Dutch album of the year. I Exist Forever As Long AsYou Think Of Me is not only one of the most beautiful album titles we’ve seenthis year, but also a beautiful representation of coming of age andvulnerability. The sincerity, honesty and hope with which Stien den Hollanderexplores her complex feelings on this record, testifies to the enormous growthof the singer.
On her third album, S10 succeeds in combining different genres into anidiosyncratic whole and providing us with potential hits in the form of “WhatIf Nobody Waits For Me” and the Froukje collaboration “Nooit Meer Regret”. Onthe other hand, she also effortlessly responds to our emotions. Songs like“Lonely Height”, “Jupiter” and “Do you hear me” really touch us in theirvulnerability and recognisability. I Exist Forever As Long As You Think OfMe balances somewhere between light and dark, between right and wrong,between profit and loss, and does so in the most beautiful way possible. It isnot very surprising that S10 __ stands head and shoulders above everything!
Would you like to take a trip through the Dutch musical year? We chose onesong from each album and poured everything into a playlist on Spotify. Enjoyit!
This list was compiled by all bears. The reviews were written by Stephanie vanTol, Lotte Verhulst, Elisa Cogneau, Niels Bruwier, Robbe “Boubacar” Nerinckxand Steven Scheers.