TAPE TOY
Hyperactive grunge-pop and punky shougaze
TAPE TOY has released the strongest work of their career. Their new album, *Dumb Sites*, is more adventurous, more melodic, and more personal than anything they’ve made before. Escapism is the common thread: from the hyperactive, punky opening single “Mess” to the uncompromising shoegaze hit that is the title track. ’90s-inspired grunge-pop with influences from shoegaze and indietronica. Dreamy, raw, quirky, and catchy.
The release period was accompanied by an extensive tour: three shows in Indonesia (Bandung, Yogyakarta, and Jakarta), a performance at Into The Great Wide Open, the album release show at Bitterzoet in Amsterdam, a tour in Germany, and, in early 2027, a club tour through a few great venues in the Netherlands. The fact that TAPE TOY is ready for this comes as no surprise to anyone who’s been following the band for a while. Four music geeks who found each other in school, all four with a penchant for ripped jeans and flannel shirts, guitars that blare fiercely and furiously, and a vacation playlist consisting not of a “Hitzone” CD but of the *Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2* soundtrack. From the moment the foursome played together for the first time, it was a hit.
Lead vocalist and guitarist Roos van Tuil, guitarist and vocalist Wesley Fransen, bassist Maurice van de Graaf, and drummer Marc van Dongen quickly built a reputation as one of the most promising Dutch indie rock bands. As gritty as grunge, as playful as Britpop, as energetic as skate punk. In 2017, they won the Amsterdam Pop Prize, scored a 3FM Megahit with “Naive,” were named among the top 10 at Noorderslag by 3voor12, and played at Paaspop, the Zwarte Cross, and Oerol. As an opening act, they’ve shared the stage with WIES, Krezip, Weezer, Skunk Anansie, and Hinds, and capped off that rise with their own sold-out show in the upper hall of Paradiso. Following their debut album “Honey, WTF” and the EP “Launch The Rocket,” “Dumb Sites” is their most ambitious step yet. TAPE TOY is ready.
