Onschuld by Desinteresse

Desinteresse releases their first studio produced album, Onschuld, through Fabrika Records on September 9, 2025.

Desinteresse is a Dutch Coldwave act formed in late 2022 as a duo consisting of Bart Vranken (bass) and Sem van den Munckhof (vocals/synth/guitar), Joppe de Swart (drums) joined in 2024 to form the current trio. Onschuld is their first album after the release of two home-recorded cassettes on their own label DECADENCE.

This is Desinteresse’s first studio production; their first tape; 'Voor Altijd'. was simply recorded live in Sem’s attic room. Onschuld was recorded at The Lullabye Factory in Amsterdam, where Desinteresse took control of the completely analog production. Engineers at The Lullabye Factory assisted with the mixing. Recording took place January and March 2025, except for Grijze Dromen which was recorded in June 2024 and released as a 7” single in August 2024. The overall approach was to create something in the same way it was done in the 1970s and 80s, hence the dedicated use of tape and instruments, effects and amplifiers that come from that era.

The titles and lyrics are in their native Dutch. Most of the album's lyrics were written by Sem between 2023 and 2025, with the exception of the song Fantomen, which was written by Bart. Silhouet was inspired by the film “Last Year At Marienbad” and the last song, Denkt U? follows one of the letters in “Les Liaisons Dangereuses”. Other songs such as Niets Te Zeggen and Onschuld work best when they're freely interpreted by the listener. Rather than telling straight forward stories, Desinteresse’s music forms an atmosphere for the listener to explore.

The Cure's Faith and Pornography are irrefutable inspirations for Onschuld. Desinteresse also lists Joy Division, as the well lesser known Japanese band 少女人形 (Shōjoningyō) as further sources of inspiration. Lastly, although not as sonically noticeable as the others, the French band Trop Tard, which was the reason they started playing music, continues to influence the band.