Bas Beenackers

If you've ever had the pleasure of witnessing Bas Beenackers on stage, either solo or with his indie rock band My Blue Van, you know that he completely loses himself in the songs. Fully absorbed as it were. Sounds and words merge and put the listener in a trance-like state of mind as well. And not just live. His untitled solo début washes over us in pleasurable waves, although existential turmoil seethes beneath the surface.

Solo début? Didn't singer-guitarist Bas Beenackers (Maarheeze, 1985) previously release the EP Man under his own name? Yes, that's right. Five new tracks have been added to the five acoustic guitar songs on it now. While more richly arranged, these new tracks blend seamlessly with the older ones in tone and theme. "All ten songs are spiritual and emotional," Beenackers says from his sprawling garden in rural Oud-Zuilen, on the outskirts of Utrecht. Further on, his wife works in the vegetable garden and his sons play in a big rain puddle. "I write sentimental music about life's big topics: love, death, children. I don’t like analyzing my lyrics to death, but they are definitely contemplative in nature. Hopefully people will find comfort in it, on a Sunday morning with the curtains closed and the fireplace lit."