Willem Smit talks upcoming Personal Trainer album; MADiSON ViOLETT works to expand her CD collection
This is Punk Rock Bach for June 11, 2026.
What does everybody have but typically doesn’t make for polite dinner conversation?
Human Assholes!
So let’s consider this a brunch chit-chat instead, because “Human Assholes” is exactly what we’re covering in this issue of Punk Rock Bach. But I’m not talking about anything biological or even about jerks on the subway. “Human Assholes” is the upcoming album from Netherlands-based band Personal Trainer. This week, we’re talking with the band’s frontman—Willem Smit—about creating the record.
Plus, in this week’s Q&A, MADiSON ViOLETT is sharing her memories of Evanescence opening for Korn.
Onward!
Willem Smit plays with language in upcoming Personal Trainer album
English is the language of Hollywood and rock ‘n’ roll for Willem Smit.
“I’ve been making records and doing music for about probably like 15 years now, and it’s something that probably just started because all of my favorite bands were singing in English,” Smit said. “And also most of my favorite Dutch bands were even doing it, so I didn’t really question it.”
Smit is the frontman for Personal Trainer, a band out of The Netherlands that is releasing its latest album, “Human Assholes,” on Sept. 4 via the Bella Union label. On Wednesday, the band released its second single from the album: “Moping.”
Smit, whose mother tongue is not English, said he always feels like there’s a bit of a language barrier — but that can be helpful.
“I’ve always seen it as like a big weakness, but I’m starting to feel like there’s kind of a distance between me and the actual language, or the meaning of the language, which kind of rhymes a bit with how I look at language in general, I think, or the world,” he said.
English, he said, was always a tongue that “sounds immediately cool to me” thanks to the great bands and movies that use it.
Not quite an homage to Paul Thomas Anderson
Among the tracks on the upcoming “Human Assholes” album is the single “Punch Drunk Love.” Film buffs will recognize the title is similar to the 2002 Paul Thomas Anderson movie, starring Adam Sandler. But Smit said that’s pretty much where the similarities end.
“I think I just saw the movie while I was making that song and thought, ‘Hey, that’s a fitting title,’” he said.
He continued, “I wasn’t thinking about that movie when writing the song, but it just felt like a fitting title, and I thought it would be funny to kind of just take that or something.”
“Human Assholes” is the band’s third album, following 2024’s “Still Willing” and 2022’s “Big Love Blanket.” Smit said this one is shorter compared to the others, and is also constructed differently.
“Me and [my producer Casper van der Lans] would go around to like people’s living rooms, or like rehearsal spaces, or like actual studios, and kind of go all over the place with this little setup and record all kinds of things, kind of building using every bit we recorded as building blocks to make these gigantic projects.”
Smit said he would then take that recording back to the band so that they could practice for live performances.
“And this time around, I decided to actually do that before finishing the record,” he said, noting it was “really fun.”
Live shows ahead
Smit said Personal Trainer is planning an upcoming gig on its home turf.
“We are playing our, like, biggest headline show in the Netherlands, in Amsterdam, in our hometown, in this pretty bizarre, like, fancy theater place,” he said. “Feels very cool, but also very, very silly at the same time, because we’re kind of… I always say, we’re kind of like a band that’s duct tape together a bit.”
Smit said the band likes to do things themselves. While other bands at festivals have elaborate productions, he said Personal Trainer takes a different approach.
“Sometimes we would like bring trash bags of stuff, because we couldn’t get rid of our trash in our rehearsal space. So we would like throw it away at the fest,” he said. “We kind of feel like a stinky bunch. So it’s funny to play like this very kind of like high-end beautiful room in Amsterdam, because normally we just play like clubs. That’s really exciting.”
The band is also planning live shows in the United Kingdom in October.
“So we’re just rehearsing a lot. And we’re starting to play again, because we’ve taken a break from playing for like nine months or something, which is the longest I’ve ever not played a show,” he said. “Really looking forward to going back to touring.”
Personal Trainer’s new album “Human Assholes” is set to debut on Sept. 4 via the Bella Union label. It is available for pre-order and pre-save. You can watch the music video for the single “Punch Drunk Love” on YouTube, as well as for the single “Moping.” Visit Personal Trainer’s web page for a list of their upcoming live shows.
MADiSON ViOLETT logs thousands of minutes streaming music on the go
MADiSON ViOLETT is revisiting the 2000s.
ViOLETT released the single “Bleed for Me” and a music video for the track late last month. According to a press release, the video — which features Sleeping with Sirens’ Kellin Quinn — takes a look back at “classic 2000s emo culture.”
“I worked alongside incredible actors and an awesome production team, including Christopher Shaibi, with whom I’ve collaborated on several projects,” she said in the press release . “The vision for this video was to parody those cliché 2000s high school films and really encapsulate the nostalgia and campiness that come with the imagery.”
Recently, Punk Rock Bach caught up with ViOLETT to ask her about what she’s listening to currently. Spoiler alert: She’s a big fan of My Chemical Romance.
Editor’s note: Q&A has been lightly edited for style, syntax and typos.
Punk Rock Bach: How do you prefer to listen to music?
MADiSON ViOLETT: I love physical media; I occasionally collect CDs (it’s still a tiny collection, but I’m working on it!)—I like the feeling of fully owning something instead of just streaming it digitally. However, I’m a crazy music listener and hit around 3,000 minutes a week through commutes, the gym, and doing work. Because of this, the most convenient/accessible option for me is Spotify streaming. I also like to track my stats (minutes of listening, top albums, top artists), so streaming is my go-to.
PRB: What are you listening to now?
ViOLETT: I’m on a serious metalcore/post-hardcore kick right now. Some of my current top metalcore bands include Spiritbox, Erra, Silent Planet, Dying Wish, and Thornhill. Some post-hardcore bands I’ve been obsessed with lately include The Used, Senses Fail, Sleeping With Sirens, and Evanescence (leans more nu-metalcore than post-hardcore, haha)
Additionally, I’ve been expanding my taste and getting into a lot of electronic indie pop. I’ve found myself listening to Phantogram and Grimes’ discographies while I drive or do work. I love the sampling techniques and production innovation of these artists—very inspirational to me, as I’ve been working on enhancing my production skills myself.
My top all-time artist on Spotify is My Chemical Romance. They’ve always been a go-to, no matter what generic phase I’m in! I know their entire discography like the back of my hand. If Gerard Way asked me to get up on stage with him and sing, I wouldn’t even blink before taking the mic.
PRB: What is your favorite music listening memory?
ViOLETT: Definitely when I saw Evanescence open for Korn in 2024 for their anniversary show. My friends and I got barricade—we were so close we could feel the pyro on our faces. Evanescence has always been a huge inspiration for me as a songwriter and vocalist, and frankly, Amy Lee is one of the reasons why I’m still singing today. Literally, the second their set started, I burst into tears (though I tried not to, lol). It was a huge reminder to me why I’m still pursuing my dreams and the pure power of this art form.
PRB: What do you listen on?
ViOLETT: I usually listen on my phone/laptop with my headphones or through the car speakers because I literally listen to music everywhere I go.
MADiSON ViOLETT’s music video for “Bleed for Me” is available on YouTube. It debuted May 22. ViOLETT is set to perform live at Artist in the Alley in Pomona, Calif., on June 13; DiPiazza’s in Long Beach, Calif., on June 19; and The Smell in Los Angeles, Calif., on June 27.
What I’m listening to…
Ever since the Mike D show in Brooklyn, I’ve been on a Beastie Boys kick.
I’ve been watching music videos from the band’s decades-spanning career, interviews with the guys and — naturally — their performances on the Late Show with David Letterman (particularly the “Sabotage” performance).
But while I downloaded two of their songs from iTunes years ago (“Sure Shot” and “Intergalactic”), it dawned on me that I’d never bought a full Beastie Boys album.
What the heck?!
So I purchased a digital copy of the 20th anniversary remastered edition of “Paul’s Boutique” — Beastie Boys’ 1989 album. The record includes tracks such as “Shake Your Rump” and “Egg Man.”
My first impression is you can tell the fellas are much younger than their “Hello Nasty” days, but it has a late 1980s hip-hop rawness that is a lot of fun to hear.
I enjoy it.
Thanks for reading Punk Rock Bach! Coming up next week, we’re chatting with Mike Knowlton, whose Unlettered project has a new album debuting June 26. Plus a Q&A with Family Stereo. Until then!