Personal Trainer announce new album, Human Assholes

“Punch Drunk Love” borrows its title from the Paul Thomas Anderson film, and features guest vocals from Susanne Linssen of Hospital Bombers and former member Franti Maresova. Speaking about the single, songwriter and Personal Trainer lead explains: “‘Punch Drunk Love’ reminds me of a very strong feeling of being in love, or at least being infatuated by someone, which can then lead to obsession.

Human Assholes follows Still Willing released last year, and was recorded over six days. Smit and producer Casper van der Lans made a shift in the recording process. Acoustic guitar became the starting point, and the songs were written in a physical room with the full band rather than assembled digitally. “Every take that a group of people does simultaneously is a moment that has just happened and is shared by a group of people,” Smit explains of the process. “You give up some control, but for me, the decision-making became that much easier.”

Speaking about the music, Smit continues, “I have always looked at the role of music in my life with great enthusiasm. But also in a quite down-to-earth way. It is my greatest passion, but it is also just music, and that is precisely why it is important to me. It is a kind of sandbox I can sit in whenever I want. I have always been able to express myself through it as an outlet, but never was it as evident to me as during this process. It really felt like a ‘safe haven’ to sink my teeth into for days, while everything else wasn't going so well.”

Human Assholes artwork

Human Assholes tracklist

“Marvin’s Curtain Up”
“Scrambled Egg”
“Punch Drunk Love”
“Bone”
“Moping”
“Places!”
“The Burrows”
“Barely Guillaume”
“Hole”
“Human Assholes”
“Rim Shot / Event Horizon”
“Tempo”
“Tyres Skid”
“Object Permeance”
“Letter From A Scentless Realm”