‘We are Pip Blom but I am Pip Blom too’
Dutch alt-indie trio Pip Blom are riding a wave of success at present, thanks to their infectious new album, Bobbie, and its fun latest single Get Back.
Led by the band’s namesake and principal songwriter, the record – their third – sees the threesome move away from indie rock and more into the realms of catchy synth pop.
Bobbie was produced by Dave McCracken, whose credits include Jay-Z and Kanye West.
Pip spoke to the Cambridge Independent from her home in Amsterdam, while packing to travel to the UK the following day.
“I always like having my suitcase ready – it feels exciting,” she says, “I take a lot of stuff with me; I like to bring lots of books, and sometimes I bring my pillow as well because that kind of reminds me of home.”
The new album has been very well-received, with excellent reviews seemingly right across the board.
“The shiny, polished production really suits Pip’s new direction and the whole album just shines,” enthused Overblown, while Bearded Gentlemen Music gushed: “The album is an absolute stunner”.
“Yeah, it’s been really nice,” says Pip modestly, “because it’s our third album of course, and people may think it’s old news, or something, but I’ve been really surprised with all the great feedback we’ve had.
“I personally really like this album, I think it’s my favourite so far, so it’s been nice to hear that other people like it too.”
Fellow Dutch indie bands Real Farmer, Personal Trainer and The Klittens were recently featured in the Cambridge Independent. Is it safe to say there’s quite a thriving indie music scene over there?
“I think there’s definitely a good scene at the minute,” replies Pip, who says she listened to a lot of different music growing up.
“Those bands have always been there in the Netherlands but they never really went on tour outside of the Netherlands.
“And for the last couple of years, I think that’s been a thing that more and more Dutch bands have been doing – which I really like because it’s great to have a group of friends that travel to the UK that often.
“And we made a song with Personal Trainer on our record [Kiss Me By the Candlelight] so it’s fun to see them play gigs in the UK as well.”
Pip reveals that her mum used to take her to gigs when she was younger.
“I’d already learned to play a bit of guitar,” she recalls, “and at one point when I was at all these gigs, I just thought ‘this looks so much fun – to make music with your friends on stage and travel the world together’.
“That’s kind of when I thought ‘I’m going to start my own band as well’.”
Although Pip’s name is also the band’s name, she wants to make it clear that it’s definitely a team effort.
“I think that’s one of the things that maybe if I could do it all over again, I would change that [the band name] but now it is what it is,” she says.
“But I feel like when I first started making music, it was just me making all the songs. I didn’t really have a band yet but I did make songs that sounded liked the band, I guess, and then I found people to join.
“Then it kind of stayed that way, it’s just my name – but it is a band so I always say ‘we are Pip Blom but I am Pip Blom too’. So it can be a bit confusing for people…
“But because we’ve been playing for quite a while, I think that most people do know now that it’s a band.”
[Read more: Dutch garage band Real Farmer coming soon to Cambridge as part of ‘Triple Dutch Tour’, Dutch comedian Hans Teeuwen comes to Cambridge]
Pip Blom will be performing at the Cambridge Junction (J2) next Monday (19 February). Tickets, priced £19, are available from junction.co.uk. For more on Pip Blom, go to pipblom.com.
