Voluptuous and colourful indie pop by Personal Trainer shines through their new album Still Willing and dares to scratch other genres. Review.
STILL WILLING – PERSONAL TRAINER
If it’s all made with a large dose of tender and warm pop, Personal Trainer went down the psyche experimental road for the first track of Still Willing, Upper Ferntree Gully. The thing is, it never remains fully static. Soon, the band gets its shiny pop growing, then shifting to punk and saturated riffs. The blend of textures joined by catchy melodies make it all irresistible. With that in mind, I’m curious to hear what the Amsterdam-based collective has up their sleeves for the rest of this new record. Because, so far, the warm chaos of their torn pop really speaks a lot to me.
The vocals are clearer when the style draws its inspiration from the 60s/70s on I Can Be Your Personal Trainer. That’s before sliding to a more modern atmosphere on Cyan. The idea is to not limit themselves. And because the collective is enjoying themselves, the overall atmosphere is bright even in its darkest and more introspective moments, such as New Bad Feeling or Still Willing. My favourites on this opus hold on to this idea while pushing some strong rock riffs and rhythms. I can think of catchy Round, Intangible and You Better Start Scrubbing.
Inventive and inspired, Personal Trainer also borrows lines from funk for Intangible. And it indubitably settles as one of the best tracks on the record. It precedes the more melancholic Testing The Alarm which, although it starts slowly, doesn’t hesitate to push towards raw and brutal sounds. The album closes on What Am I Supposed To Say About The People And Their Ways, infinitely intriguing and summing up well the ever-changing style of the band. With Still Willing, Personal Trainer plays with the unexpected and shows its adventurous side.
