Dutch indie-rock band Pip Blom is a Rolling Stone Artist You Need to Know.
Guy Eppel*Some bands reach greatness by inventing something new, others by reminding you of what you loved a long time ago. For Pip Blom, the 23-year-old sparkplug who leads the Dutch alt-rock band of the same name, the choice was clear. Growing up surrounded by peers who listened to Top 40 pop — “Jason Derulo, stuff like that,” she says dismissively — Pip and her younger brother Tender, 21, gravitated instead to the old Blur and Oasis records their parents played at home.
“All my favorite bands were British back then,” she says. “It was always a bit difficult, looking for friends to go to gigs with.”
Pip spent much of her late teens teaching herself how to sing and play guitar like her U.K. rock heroes, whose ranks grew to include more contemporary acts like Arctic Monkeys and Micachu and the Shapes. This summer, she and her brother, along with drummer Gini Cameron and bassist Darek Mercks (both 23), made good on those lonely but instructive years by releasing their debut LP, Boat — an instantly catchy set of burnt-sugar hooks that would fit perfectly into the Blom family record collection. If you came across the dreamy frustration of “Say It” or the grungier grumble of “Tinfoil” on a mixtape dated 1997, you’d swear they were forgotten Britpop gems; find them on a streaming playlist today and they just might be your new favorite songs.
Sitting in a Williamsburg, Brooklyn, café on the last day of their first-ever trip together to the U.S., the young musicians chat happily over early-afternoon Brooklyn Lagers and IPAs. “You look like little angels,” a waitress says as she clears a round of empty pint glasses.
All four grew up in Amsterdam, with Pip and Tender learning about the music industry via their parents’ tales of the Eighties, when their dad played in a punk band that landed repeat gigs on John Peel’s influential BBC radio show and their mom was the band’s live engineer. (Today both are journalists.) “Most kids, there’s a period where they dislike what their parents love, but we’ve not really had that,” Pip says. “We think they’re really cool!”
Toward the end of high school, Pip saw a poster for a local singer-songwriter contest and decided to enter. Messing around on a three-stringed lute their dad had backed on Kickstarter, she found that songwriting came naturally. “I banged out all these songs — verse/chorus/verse, I don’t think there’s even a bridge in any of them,” she says. “And I made it to the semi-finals, which was quite surprising.”
Performing solo gigs around town for the contest helped her realize that she’d rather front a band. The only problem? “She couldn’t find anyone who wanted to play with her,” Tender says, laughing. “So she kept asking me, but I didn’t want to be in a band. Too much work for my lazy ass.”
Eventually she convinced her little brother to join her in their family’s home studio, where they recorded a few voice-and-guitar demos that were good enough to land on a Spotify playlist for new bands. “Of course, it wasn’t, like, a Billie Eilish explosion,” Pip says. “But to me it felt really big.”
She was weighing her options after a gap year when her father told her not to shortchange her music. “He was like, ‘I don’t think you should go to college. This is something very special — maybe just give it time to see where it ends up,’” she recalls.
She and Tender cycled through two tentative rhythm sections for their band before finding Mercks and Cameron, both of whom had more experience playing in bands than they did. (“At one point I was in six or seven bands at the same time,” says Mercks, who also spent four years studying bass guitar in the pop department of a prestigious Amsterdam music school.) They booked Pip Blom’s first U.K. tour by cold-emailing local promoters and journalists — it’s still the country where they’ve spent the most time touring — and headed to the seaside town of Ramsgate, England, last fall to record their debut with producer Dave McCracken.
They all sound pleasantly giddy about finishing their first album. “The test pressing arrived at our home, and I gave one to my mum and dad to have a listen,” Pip says. “And then I had a listen as well, and I really liked it.”
Both of them still live at home, where their parents continue to support their indie-rock dreams. Pop Blom has been to every one of their gigs; Mom Blom books their hotel rooms on tour (they’ll be back in the U.S. for a handful of dates this November) and maintains a spreadsheet with their streaming play counts, which she makes sure to keep them current on. “Sometimes I come downstairs and I just want to relax, and I’m like, give me a break!” Pip says. “They can be annoying. But they’re really sweet.”
ON THE RISE
Anabel Itoha, originally from Barcelona, takes a courageous leap to relocate from Spain to NYC to pursue her music career. She mentions, “everybody kept telling me I was crazy, but when people tell you that, it’s probably because you’re really up to something.” She describes the depth of sacrifice you have to make to pursue your passion, but “if you really want something, you should just go for it.”
At an early age, Anabel’s primary school teacher noticed her powerful singing voice and pointed it out to her mother. Anabel shares that her family helped cultivate a path for her to explore her musical talents through concerts and performances throughout childhood. It wasn't until later when Anabel was fully invested in her dream, and the weight and reality of telling her mother, "No, Mom, I'm not gonna be a doctor; I'm gonna be a singer," truly sank in.
When reality hit, it took her family some time to accept her decision. Although they initially joined the chorus of “you’re crazy for moving out of the country—and to NYC, no less,” they still show their support. Moving to the U.S. was no easy feat, which involves more than just cultural adjustment. Despite visa challenges and navigating how to work legitimately on her music and with management teams, Anabel remained undeterred and kept pushing forward.
When asked to elaborate further on the challenges of breaking into the NYC music scene, she mentions having to create a name for yourself. It wasn’t just about adapting to a new culture; it was also trying to to keep up with the fast-pace lifestyle of New York City. With everything moving so quickly, you have to figure out your impact in a city full of hustle.
Part of making her mark in NYC involved collaborating with artists like Bronx rapper Capella Gray, which gave her a platform to blend R&B, Hip Hop, and Afrobeat influences with her Spanish lyrics. This fusion of genres, driven by her cultural and musical background, creates a truly distinct sound. She also shared the realization of feeling like she was in it and really forging a path when she collaborated with Quimico Ultra Mega, a well-known Dominican rapper. Much of the collaborative and nomadic artistry of her pathway has helped propel her creations and develop the uniqueness of her sound.
As she continues to explore her sound and open her heart, you can expect to hear the tenderness and fierceness of her love in her upcoming single "My Baby.”
“Through thick and thin, you’re always gonna be my baby,” she shares about the message behind the track. While the song focuses on the good times and reveling in the best parts of being in love, it also casts the importance of being truly in it with someone, no matter the trials and tribulations. Love can be complicated, but it's worth the twists, turns, and growth. The upbeat nature of the song and pop influences make it perfect music to celebrate the sweetness of being in love.
When asked what her favorite part of making this track was, she mentioned the opportunity for her to step out of her comfort zone and hit a new range of notes. She joked, “I will be the one to complain about something, while I’m doing it, but I’m still getting it done even though it’s hard.” She described the moment of realization— “Oh, I got this” when listening back over her recording and feeling the triumph of accomplishing something challenging and new.
Between catchy and heart-stirring melodies, a new range of notes, and a fresh take on love, you can expect to hear “My Baby” on September 13th on all streaming platforms.
Stay tuned on Anabel’s socials for the upcoming “My Baby” music video, and for more updates on upcoming releases!
