REAL FARMER release aching new single SOB STORY
- Mar 17
- 3 min read
Groningen, Netherlands-based post-punk four-piece Real Farmer have today released their new single Sob Story. Bolstered by monochromatic bass, swirls of grating, raking guitar and the steady thud of drums, lead singer Jeroen Klootsema is at his purgative best, transmitting a superbly cogent rumination on regret and hope for forgiveness.
Real Farmer's second studio album Two Wrongs Don't Make A Right is due out on May 1st through Strap Originals, the label forged with love by Peter Doherty. You can pre-order the vinyl/pre-save digital here.
Sob Story is the fourth track to be lifted from the album, it follows Missing Link video (the thrashy, stop-start opener and call to arms), Run By Animals video (a moving dream pop hymn written with the victims of femicide in mind) and Heart Out video (60s beat meets proto punk).
Radio spins have come in from BBC 6 Music's Craig Charles, Steve Lamacq and Apple Music 1's Matt Wilkinson. And So Young, God Is In The TV, Indie Is Not A Genre and Pan m 360 have all lent their support in the press.
With Peter Doherty, Protomartyr, Babyshambles, Pitchfork Paris and Primavera supports or festivals in the bag over the past 12 months, Real Farmer are set for their most sustained headline tour to-date. The dates are as follows:
May
07 - Köln, Bumann & SOHN
08 - Horst, Nikspack Festival
09 - Amsterdam, OCCII
11 - Berlin, Schokoladen
12 - Hamburg, MS Stubnitz
14 - Basel, Hirscheneck
15 - Bern, ISC
20 - Marseille, L'intermédiaire
22 - Biel/Bienne, Chrüsimüsi
29 - Utrecht, ACU
30 - Eindhoven, Skinfest
June
01 - Paris, Verte est la nuit
02 - Brighton, Prince Albert
03 - London, New River Studios
04 - Cardiff, Clwb Ifor Bach
05 - Manchester, YES (basement)
06 - Newcastle, Marrapalooza
07 - Glasgow, The Hug & Pint
09 - Sheffield, Delicious Clam
10 - Oxford, Little Bully
11 - Nottingham, JT Soar
12 - Norwich, Norwich Arts Centre
13 - Southampton, Heartbreakers Bar
Two Wrongs Don't Make A Right embraces a democratic, free-spirited songwriting process with Jeroen Klootsema (vocals), Marrit Meinema (bass/vocals), Leon Harms (drums) and the recently departed Peter van der Ploeg (guitars) all contributing ideas over several separate studio sessions. Recording took place at Far Out Sound Studios in Rotterdam with audio engineer Niek Driesschen (Iguana Death Cult, Rats on Rafts) and it was mastered by Mikey Young (Amyl and the Sniffers, King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard).
One of the running themes, picked up visually with the artwork and in the coruscating feel of many of the songs, is anarchism. But it's a nuanced application. Singer Jeroen explains: "I grew up in a place where I had to bite back a lot, so I've become really good at it. But I think when it comes to the bigger collective picture, it takes more than just one person kicking at things. It also requires knowing what you're doing it for. I'm constantly reframing that on this album: what do I believe? What is anarchy to me? What is a community to me? In these songs, we're collectively trying to re-examine all those things as a band."
Real Farmer released their debut album Compare What's There (2024) and EP RF II (2025) through Strap Originals. The band's creative stomping ground of Groningen was where they landed their first record deal: Subroutine Records (The Homesick, Tramhaus) put out their debut EP in 2019. Ever since, the band have been making a name for themselves with thrilling live shows and analog recordings that reflect the rugged nature of those live shows.
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