Chicago, Boston, Europe … You could be forgiven for thinking that Netherlands might be, you know, Dutch. They’re not, though. They’re roughly as Dutch as I am – in name only. Did you know the name Rutherford was originally Dutch? Did you care? Anyway, the point is that Netherlands are from Southampton, are now based in London, and to the best of my knowledge have not a Flemish bone in their bodies.
Continuing with the international theme, the five-piece make a brand of dream-pop that sounds far more American than European: think Galaxie 500, or the eternal touchstones of the genre Mazzy Star. Like the latter, they tie in a distinctive folk and country edge to the sound, with tremolo guitars and understated, cooing harmonies.
Having only started gigging in August, it’s fair to say that Netherlands are still in the process of establishing themselves. You can tell because when you Google their unofficial debut EP, “Places To Haunt”, the bulk of the results seem to be about allegedly ghost-infested houses in the Low Countries. That said, you can tell it’s a pretty damn good effort because the two results that do point to it happen to come right at the top. Or maybe that’s just good SEO.
Either way, it is a damn good EP. The three tracks, “Something Or Nothing”, “Sleeping” and “Amour” are between them mellow, heart-warming and mature. “Something Or Nothing” and “Amour” will be seeing a proper release as the A- and B-sides respectively of a single in December; in the meantime, the live shows are finally getting underway, so expect to hear more from these guys pretty much any time around now.
You can listen to the aforementioned trio below, or follow up the links for more information about live dates.
Connect with Netherlands – Facebook | Website | Soundcloud
