Dreams are better than things you’re told, all these changes, keep me alone
Anyone who has ever wished they could hop into a time machine and go back to the post-punk clubs of 1981 to 1983 knows the frustration of discovering a brilliant band decades after their last gig. A handful of singles, a photograph, and some blurred footage can be enough to make such a long-gone history feel personally inconsiderate. Dutch coldwave trio Desinteresse offer a more agreeable arrangement. They have the look and sound of a lost band from that era, right down to the clothes, severe haircuts, and lean instrumental interplay, with the added advantage that you can see them live now.
Their new song Falling Faces is the first and only single from their forthcoming album A Picture, due at the end of 2026 through Fabrika Records. It also marks the band’s first released song in English, accompanied by a video filmed by their friend Romy Janssen.
Falling Faces sounds strikingly like The Cure during the Seventeen Seconds / Faith era, particularly the taut, restless movement of Play for Today and Primary. The prominent bassline and flanged guitar carry the song forward together, their phrases blending into a fluid melodic pattern, while its steady drumbeat maintains a measured insistence. That close interplay gives the repeating figures a hypnotic continuity, making the tension feel increasingly difficult to escape. The vocal gives that restraint an exposed emotional edge, bringing the ache of separation into an otherwise tightly controlled performance.
The lyrics drift between the intimacy of a dance and the distance left in its wake, trading tears, glances, and dreams across a relationship growing harder to reach. “Dreams are better than things you’re told, all these changes, keep me alone” sets imagined comfort against the ache of what has come to pass. Faces fill an empty space, only to vanish without a trace; even the promise of meeting again leaves open whether another encounter could mend what’s been lost. The refrain, “Push it away,” becomes a quiet plea against a feeling that returns no matter how hard it’s banished.
Janssen’s video extends the impression of an early post-punk performance preserved on an old tape. Blue stage lighting, grainy images, and occasional horizontal tracking lines frame close views of the musicians’ faces and instruments. The camera gives the band room to play, making their appearance and physical presence part of the song’s austere appeal. For anyone still considering that time machine, the footage makes a persuasive case for checking the forthcoming tour dates first.
Watch the video for Falling Faces below:
Desinteresse began in the Netherlands in late 2022 as the partnership of bassist Bart Vranken and vocalist, guitarist, and synth player Sem van den Munckhof. Their early releases, Voor Altijd and Ik Wil Dood Als Ik Het Vergeet, appeared on cassette through their own DECADENCE label in 2023. Drummer Joppe de Swart joined in 2024, with Grijze Dromen marking their first release as a trio.
Their commitment to vintage instruments, effects, amplifiers, and analogue recording has shaped the band since its earliest cassette releases. After moving to Fabrika Records, Desinteresse released Onschuld in September 2025, recorded entirely on analogue equipment at Amsterdam’s The Lullabye Factory. The album drew explicitly on The Cure’s Faith and Pornography, as well as Joy Division and French coldwave band Trop Tard. A Picture follows later this year, preceded by its sole advance single, Falling Faces.
Tour Dates:
- October 21 — Trier, Germany — Mergener Hof
- October 24 — Parma, Italy — Arcistella
- November 6 — Venlo, Netherlands — Grenswerk
- November 8 — Amsterdam, Netherlands — Paradiso
- November 26 — Vigo, Spain — La Fábrica de Chocolate
- November 27 — Porto, Portugal — Hard Club
- November 28 — Madrid, Spain — Hangar 48
- November 29 — Zaragoza, Spain — La Lata de Bombillas
- December 2 — Marseille, France — L’Intermédiaire
- December 3 — Lyon, France — Sonic
- December 4 — Kusel, Germany — Kinnet
- December 6 — Hamburg, Germany — MS Stubnitz
- December 8 — Berlin, Germany — Kantine am Berghain
- December 11 — Paris, France — Le Chinois
- December 19 — Utrecht, Netherlands — DB’s
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