Ruud Houweling

Ruud Houweling established a reputation as one of the Netherland’s most authentic songwriters. Starting out fronting his former band Cloudmachine and since 2015 as a solo artist. But also as a composer for Dutch public broadcasting NPO, on national television. His songs have been recorded by national and international artists with gold and platinum awards.

The sun is shining, tall grass is waving and with elegant strokes, the tail of a barn swallow is painting its own flight. That’s the imagery in the title track of Accidental Pictures, the follow up album to his acclaimed Erasing Mountains (2017). With the alternative folk on that record he’d found a new direction, born from the heartfelt need to create a contemporary sound  that beholds something of its geographic origin.

On Accidental Pictures a son is letting go of his father. Above all though, this is a feel good record. Written from a longing for light in a time of uncertainty. Everything seems to have changed, looking back amazed by the coincidences of existence and the inevitable temporality of it. There’s a pleasant distance to the world. It’s about seeing why you’ve become who you are, understanding others better at the same time. And, free from the pull of old desires, asking oneself, “where am I, where to next?’

Houweling helmed the production. The mixing was done in the studio of Tucker Martine in Portland, Oregon, by Oz Fritz (Tom Waits, Bill Laswell). The album was mastered by Howie Weinberg.