Antillectual

With a new album come new streams! On August 23 we will release our new album “Perspectives & Objectives”. Until that date we will stream new songs from the album every Monday.

“New”. You might have heard the acoustic version of this song on our Future History EP, but this is the real (electric) deal! The topic is still the same though: the role of women in society in general and in the punk scene in particular. Our friend Arina has first hand experience being a girl in this punk scene, watching and playing in bands, and is a music journalist. Read what she has to say:

I don’t like pink but I love punk. Being the bass player of an all female band, I have experienced that even in the punk scene, people don’t expect girls to play in bands. Backstage, I have been asked several times whose girlfriend I am. A question based on the assumption that my reason of hanging out there could only be that I had a boyfriend who was playing in a band, and not me playing in a band. There are many similar examples. Too many to list here.

Therefore, I was positively surprised when I heard the Future History version of Pink Print for the first time (by the way, the Perspectives & Objectives version is better).

Yes, surprised. I didn’t realize female participation in punk could be an important topic for an all male band (pleonasm..?) like Antillectual. Willem and I talked about it several times. I felt free to bring up all the issues, examples and doubts I have on this theme. The problem he’s having with the sentence “This song goes out to all the girls” seems to be the same as my dilemma of festivals with exclusively all female bands. Do I want to play there too?

On the one hand yes, the music scene might need such ‘reversed’ initiatives (and hey, who doesn’t love festivals?). On the other hand no, instead of creating ‘our’ own (girl) scene like the riot grrrl movement did in the nineties, I prefer an equally mixed audience at concerts. Or at least a mixed place in which women feel welcome and safe (not just a live-size version of a donut). Separate girl and boy scenes may not contribute to this goal.

Is it really that bad? I’m not sure. If it was, I wouldn’t have enjoyed all these great concerts over the years and I wouldn’t have had such good times on its after-parties.

To add another positive observation: my impression is that there is a growing awareness among bands. Many attacked the Groezrock video by an energy drink brand. Pink Print fits right into this tendency, meaningfully criticizing its own scene. I hope many people will listen to this song, regardless of their favorite color.

– Arina Banga

Pre-order “Perspectives & Objectives”, or a package including it and receive a stream right after.

Coincidentally, Dying Scene – who hosted this song last Friday – also posted an editorial on the subject of ‘women in punk’. Quite an interesting read: I am a woman, and I have a right to be here.

Pink print

I would hate this to sound sexist: “This goes out to all the girls”
So few here, girlfriends, wives and cooks. From the back of the room, only here for the looks?

I hoped we could provide a safer alternative in this gated community
But it seems we’ve failed
Contrary to popular beliefs girls are not just donuts.
How we warn our daughters shows how civilized we are

What do you expect, examples given and standards set?
How we treat our maids shows how civilized we are

Stop burning the witches, burn our blueprints on their stakes
And use the second sex’ craft to bake a pink print for a change

Liner notes:

Girls in our scene are underrepresented, in both audiences and bands. When playing with (partly) female bands or in front of an equally mixed audience I often feel like addressing them. What always holds me back are other bands dedicating songs to girls, “This goes out to all the girls”, for all the wrong, sexist reasons. It would be cool if girls at shows were not only welcome for their looks, boyfriends or cooking skills, but also just for being there or for their music. I think a lot more girls would eventually join in. “From the back of the room” is a documentary about actively involved women in the punk/hardcore scene.
Girls and women in our society aren’t treated much better. There still is a lot of sexism, hidden or not. A very recent example is the scandal of Dominique Strauss Kahn raping a black maid and getting away with it. Not because he was innocent, but because the girl wasn’t “credible” enough.

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With a new album come new streams! On August 23 we will release our new album “Perspectives & Objectives”. Until that date we will stream new songs from the album every Monday.

Our guest writer this week is no other than our ex bass player, mister Tim Vantol. Being quite the work horse himself, he wrote a few lines about the subject of this song.

Everyone seems to understand how it works, but do they really? Antillectual is one of those few bands here in Europe that seem to understand it. Never give up, it won’t be easy, you will give a lot, get less back, you will lose almost everything you had, but you will get a few things back that are worth more than all you’ve lost.

For those who think it’s luck: well, the only luck we might have is that we know better than calling this luck. It has got nothing to do with luck, it’s just all about keeping on going, even when bass player nr.20 is gonna leave the band after a couple of months (sorry for that guys) .

If you still think it’s luck, this is what you should try for at least the next 2 years:
-burn your bed, go sleep on the floor.
-eat cold pasta 6 days a week.
-share the thing you love to do the most with 6 people who might be interested, 4 super drunks, 20 becoming-drunks, 2 bands that don’t even want to see other bands (and don’t understand it) and a bar-owner that will try to rip you off.
-go and sit in your car (without air conditioning / heating) for 6 hours a day.

Would you still call it luck?

Maybe we are lucky as we understand that we have to work hard to do what we love to do.

For the upcoming touring musicians: you will probably never become rich (money-wise), but you will become rich (knowledge and story-wise).

– Tim Vantol

Pre-order “Perspectives & Objectives”, or a package including it and receive a stream right after.

Work Horses vs Show Ponies

Feel free to parade on the dog and pony show
We’ll carry our load in the meantime
Don’t call it just luck, what happens off stage you don’t know
It’s simply a choice, make up your mind

Alright stop, collaborate and listen
If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen

Who told you that this was going to be easy?
Nobody told you that you would surely prevail
What holds you back from doing as you please?
Those who never try will never fail

But who knows, all placed bets might turn out wrong
I’ll stick with this horse for as long as it’s on the run
I’ve looked it up, I’ve tracked it down in the brochure
But couldn’t find “give up” or “slow down”

Liner notes:

The only road to good shows is bad ones. Just go start having a bad time, and if you don’t give up, you will get better.  

– Louis C.K.

Being in this band is our main passion, giving it our all. I’m sure we told you before. But as with anything else in life, if you love (doing) something, it will take a lot of time and energy to make it work and get ahead. There’s no luck and less talent than you think involved. In the end it’s only one decision: Start a band.

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With a new album come new streams! On August 23 we will release our new album “Perspectives & Objectives”. Until that date we will stream new songs from the album every Monday.

Last week we posted a song about immigration. This week we have another hot topic: homophobia, gay marriage and LGBT rights. It’s good to see gay marriage has been implemented in France and in more US states lately. The resistance against it and the 2-steps-forward-1-step-back progress show that it’s a slow, hard process. And yes, another borrowed song title. Guest introduction by our studio engineer Nico van Montfort from XPZ Sound about the process and ins and outs of the recordings of the album, below the video, just like the lyrics and liner notes.

Pre-order “Perspectives & Objectives”, or a package including it and receive a stream right after.

With Gaga on our side

I can’t get used to that you can’t get used to this
That they walk hand in hand or publicly kiss
Retarded reactionaries won’t let them get married
Ironic mustaches unite, Gaga is on our side

I just can’t get used to it, in the safety of our own house
I thought we got this over with, closets closed, please come out
But they won’t toss the bouquet nor the salad or their fiance
You let them toss and turn all night with Gaga by their side

Why are you so fucking scared of those you call so fucking weak?
Why are you so fucking scared? Ask, tell and raise some hell

Always defending family values, you speak of moral poverty
If you defined it less obtuse I maybe would agree
Be welcome at the NFL, no more “don’t ask, don’t tell”
It’s the players’ and the soldiers’ right to have Gaga on their side

We adopt you as our own, we see you as one of us
But don’t think you’re not alone, you’re an outlaw nonetheless
We enjoy your idiosyncrasy, we love our mascot to be a drag
But don’t touch or approach me personally, don’t come to close, step back

Liner notes:

The Netherlands have always been considered a very gay-positive place; Amsterdam was the gay capital of the world for a long time. But a study of The Netherlands Institute for Social Research (SCP) showed that “even” in the Netherlands gay emancipation still isn’t what it should be. Members of the Dutch lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community still don’t feel 100% accepted, especially in the public space. The process hasn’t been completed yet.
Even though the French and US government seem to embrace same-sex marriages more and more recently, the harsh protests against it shows LGBT rights are far from obvious and natural, which they should be.
Hopefully the LGBT community will find more and more support throughout all layers of the worlds’ societies. Lady Gaga can’t change the world on her own after all.

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With a new album come new streams! On August 23 we will release our new album “Perspectives & Objectives”. Until that date we will stream new songs from the album every Monday.

No, it’s not a cover, not completely. The second song is a faster, more “classic” Antillectual song, if we may say so. And even though this song is one of the first songs we finished for this album, the topic is still hot. And looking at worldwide developments it will only become even hotter. The issue of immigration, refugees and the unequal spreading of wealth will only become more apparent with increasing worldwide communication and mobility of people.
Lyrics and liners notes below the video. Jelle and Marcel from the Dutch Council for Refugees (Vluchtelingenwerk) wrote an introduction:

“At least put on some work gloves” I told Mohammed, while he was mounting pieces of rock wool against a wooden wall bare-chested. The isolation of a newly created room in a squat progressed steadily, but every second I saw him working with that material unprotected, which gave me an itchy feeling just by looking at it, was a second too many. He threw the rock wool at me laughing “Did I ever tell you how I got to the Netherlands?” Ducking for rock wool I shook my head.

 “A friend of mine who worked at the port, could help me aboard a ship that would sail to Europe. In the middle of the night he brought me on board. The only thing that I took were two boxes of biscuits and plenty of bottled water to keep me alive during those two weeks”. The first few seconds Mohammed thought it would be an easy trip, the entire room was filled with nice soft material. However, after a few minutes the heat came and his body started to itch like it had never done before. “I never found out whether the ship simply carried rock wool, or that I was just unlucky staying in an overly insulated space.” Ten days later the ship docks and during the night Mohammed takes the chance to get ashore. By that time his complete body is covered by an irritating rash. “I was sick for a good few days” he laughs, “but the overdose rock wool made me immune to it eventually”.

After his arrival in what appeared to be the Netherlands, he unsuccessfully underwent some immigration procedures. The IND didn’t believe his story and therefore did not even consider his asylum request. Without a receipt for the boat trip your story goes in the trash.

The other day I heard he’s still here, still undocumented. And perhaps that is the most effective form of protest: you refuse to accept a system of exclusion and deportation and simply stay here. You don’t go away but try to build up a life of your own, despite all obstacles weighing you down. Because it shouldn’t be up to the IND to determine if people should or should not be allowed to stay, it should be up to those people themselves. Migration is not the problem, but the very solution to the real problem that is wealth inequality.

Pre-order “Perspectives & Objectives”, or a package including it and receive a stream right after.

WELCOME TO LE JUNGLE

Welcome to le jungle, we got fun ‘n’ games
We got everything you want, you only have your dreams
Welcome to paradise, you’re here to keep it clean
We only tolerate you, working our machines as slaves

“They only care about their own share”
Where do you think they got their inspiration?
We only care about our own share
How dare you blame them pursuing a better life

Some doors, once opened, will never shut again
The golden cage is cracked, come in, a chance for all to win
Les sans-papiers, les sans-culottes, laissez faire
Everyone is a fortune hunter, now deal with it

Liner notes:

There are some misunderstandings I can’t get around. A number of people think that the process of globalization is a process that can be “undone”. They think it is possible to return to a world where the focus lies on our own lives, without the need for a broader perspective. I’m sorry to break the news to them: the genie is out of the bottle.

And why is it normal for western people to try to get the most out of their lives but why are people that don’t live in a western country being called fortune hunters or economic refugees for doing exactly the same? What is the difference between personal ambitions and opportunism in this case?

In the Netherlands a refugee committed suicide in a Dutch detention centre in January 2013. This tragic occasion has finally lead to discussion about the huge flaws in the Dutch immigration system and whether or not being an “illegal immigrant” should be criminalized. The degrading situation in Dutch detention centres has resulted in hunger striking immigrants and public dissent.

Le Jungle is the name of a refugee hideout close to Calais, France. A lot of refugees wait there for the ferries going to the UK hoping to hop on one of them, hunting for a better life.

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With a new album come new streams! On August 23 we will release our new album “Perspectives & Objectives”. Until that date we will stream new songs from the album every Monday.

Ivo van Aart shot a music video for the first song: “Soundtrack”. Lyrics and liners notes below the video. Bart from our Dutch label Suburban Records wrote an introduction:

I’ve been following Antillectual for quite some time now. Always with deep respect on how much a Dutch Punkrock band can achieve on its own. Working hard to get the next tour in line, to release the new album worldwide, to keep on pushing the limits of what you can do with music. That is the work ethic which resonates in what we love at Suburban and what we aspire to achieve with all that we do. Everything that Antillectual has done so far had meaning, had content. You don’t see that much anymore in music. I take pride that I’m part of this new chapter in the bands career.

It also helps that it is a killer punkrock album! Work hard & love music.

– Bart Wismans, Suburban Records

Pre-order “Perspectives & Objectives”, or a package including it and receive a stream right after.

Soundtrack

How do you sleep at night? Wake up and smell the apathy
Why don’t we hit the streets? Live life a little less carefree
Less “no”, more “YEAH!”, it seems we’re stuck at “maybe”
Not just a piece of the pie, we want the whole fucking bakery
Fuck fact-free politics ‘mockracy, I can’t believe the state we’re in
Our state ruled by hypocracy, we’re preaching water, drinking wine

Less “no”, more “YEAH!”

Let this be the soundtrack of how you change your life, no-one will do it for you
Let this be the soundtrack of how we change our world, there’s only “us”
When was the last time you did something for the first time?
We’ll only regret things we didn’t do

How can you care so little about the world we live in?
Just because you don’t care doesn’t mean it doesn’t matter
I love these songs and books edging our minds like pencil sharpeners
There are no pros and cons to giving a shit when you’re in it for the message

From Russian Pussy Riot, re-educated Indo-punks, to stoned emos in Irak
We got freedom of speech but nothing to say while spring is spreading everywhere
What kind of message do we send the opposition of the willing if we don’t even seem to care
Tough shit, everything is political, there’s no escape, a-political is just impossible
Too bad, songs won’t change a thing at all, needless to say, revolts need to be audible

Liner Notes:

“Music with a message, what has it ever done to change the world?”

Always a great argument when talking about socially engaged music. Maybe music never directly started a revolution or accomplished change on its own, it sure has played an important role as soundtrack to social (r)evolutions. The spirit of the slaves in the 19th century wouldn’t have been as strong without its “black music”. Without Bob Dylan’s songs the civil rights movement in the 1960s wouldn’t have been as widespread. The recession in the 1980s wouldn’t have been as dark and heartfelt without the sound of punk.

In today’s day and age it is impossible to exclude yourself from what is going on around you. We are more informed about the world around us than ever before, and it is consequently harder to look away and not care about it. Today’s music is a part of that world, accompanying us and current events.

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