Personal Trainer announce their new album Still Willing, out August 2nd via Bella Union. With the news, the band have shared the LP track “Round.” Frontman Willem Smit says, this is a record fuelled by its extremes: sometimes energetic and loud, sometimes quiet and thoughtful, always full of hidden pleasures. “When I listen to the records I make, the main thing I hope is that every time something happens on them, you’re like, ‘Wow.’ I like to be taken by surprise like that on a record, to kind of be thrown around.”

According to Willem, “”Round” was one of the last songs to make it onto the album. I had most of the record mapped out, but I felt it needed something that in The Netherlands I would call ‘een lekker nummertje,’ which I guess means something in-between ‘a banger’ or ‘a tasty little ditty’. Or something. I tend to want one of those on records I make.”

The “Round” video was directed by Kilian Kayser, who adds, “The idea of making a video with an orange playing the role of Willem seemed fun. So we organized a last-minute show with an orange on lead vocals at the Helikopter in Amsterdam and spent a day wandering through the city to shoot the video. A major inspiration is the video for ‘Tom Courtenay’ by Yo La Tengo. I thought it would be a fun idea to end the clip with a live show. It’s my favorite typical music video trope. A sort of feel-good happy ending with a band making everything right for the protagonist on an uncomfortably small stage.”

The songs and sounds were assembled in detailed increments and recorded between home and “places that don’t cost much to record at,” says Willem. Alongside Lena Hessels and The Klittens, contributors include drummer Kick Kluiving and (for half of the songs) bassist Ruben van Weegberg, also Willem’s bandmate in Canshaker Pi, who numbered Stephen Malkmus among their producers. Most of the percussion comes from Kilian Kayser, and discreet sounds are served by Abel Tuinstra and Otto de Jong.

Personal Trainer 2024 Tour Dates

Fri. Jul. 5 – Kraggenburg, NL @ Wilde Weide
Sat. Jul. 6 – Ameland, NL @ Madness Festival
Thu. Jul. 25 – Tunbridge-Wells, UK @ Unstead Festival
Sat. Jul. 27 – Thirsk, UK @ Deer Shed Festival
Sun. Jul. 28 – Oxfordshire, UK @ Truck Festival
Fri. Aug. 2 – London, UK @ Rough Trade East (In-Store)
Sat. Aug. 3 – Portsmouth, UK @ Pie & Vinyl (In-Store)
Sat. Aug. 3 – Brighton, UK @ Resident (In-Store)
Sun. Aug. 4 – Totnes, UK @ Drift (In-Store)
Mon. Aug. 5 – Bristol, UK @ Rough Trade (In-Store)
Tue. Aug. 6 – Liverpool, UK @ Rough Trade (In-Store)
Wed. Aug. 7 – Leeds, UK @ Jumbo (In-Store)
Wed. Aug 7 – Nottingham, UK @ Rough Trade Nottingham (In-Store)
Thu. Aug. 8 – London, UK @ Banquet (In-Store)
Sat. Aug. 10 – Lierop, NL @ Nirwana Tuinfeesten
Fri. Aug. 16 – Crickhowell, UK Green Man Festival
Sat. Aug 17 – Biddinghuizen, NL @ Lowlands
Sun. Aug. 25 – Portsmouth, UK @ Victorious Festival
Sat. Sept. 14 – Bergen Op Zoom, NL @ Popmonument
Sat. Sept. 28 – Antwerp, BE @ Thorn in my side
Sat. Oct. 5 – Eindhoven, NL @ Come as you are
Tue. Oct. 29 – Zurich, CH @ Dynamo Werk21
Thu. Oct. 31 – Milan, IT @ Arci Bellezza
Fri. Nov. 1 – Bologna, IT @ Covo
Mon. Nov. 4 – Anger, FR @ Jokers Pub
Tue. Nov. 5 – Laval, FR @ La Fosse
Wed. Nov. 6 – Paris, FR @ Point Éphémère
Fri. Nov. 11 – Reykjavik, IS @ Iceland Airwaves
Tue. Nov. 12 – Schorndorf, DE @ Manufaktur
Thu. Nov. 14 – Vienna, AT @ Chelsea
Fri. Nov. 15 – Warsaw, PL @ Bardzo Bardzo
Fri. Nov. 16 – Berlin, DE @ Shokoladen
Tue. Nov. 19 – Copenhagen, DK @ Loppen
Wed. Nov. 20 – Hamburg, DE @ Aalhus
Fri. Nov. 22 – Groningen, NL @ VERA
Thu. Nov. 28 – Zwolle, NL @ Hedon
Sat. Nov. 30 – Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso Grote Zaal
Sun. Dec. 1 – Rotterdam, NL @ Maasilo
Thu. Dec. 5 – Tilburg, NL @ 013 NEXT

Pre-order Still Waiting by Personal Trainer HERE