Music for sale

Whereas Writersday’s debut album “Picking Flowers on the Moon”, was still packed with unprecedented “singer songwriter” songs, a crossover between the narrative style of Americana, Country and The Pop from Liverpool, Writersday’s second album “Desert Songs” sound much more as a live band and that’s no coincidence. The songs are mostly recorded live and the electric guitar has a more prominent rol. The album sounds like it’s title. Each song could be a soundtrack of an old western or Tarantino movie. 12 songs complementing each other perfectly, from soft and melodic to solid rock. The song ‘Where Do We Go When This Planet’s Full’ is a good example; A colorful calm start, ending with a rocky atmospheric guitar solo comparable to those by U2. Leadsinger and songwriter Sjoerd Hoogma lyrics are full of metaphors. Nevertheless, he shares his innermost feelings in a very direct way. ”Writing is such a beautiful gift,” he says. “It is such an adventure to combine words and sounds. There’s so much to tell. Music can make one bear the severest of pains.”

Behind the band Writersday is singer-songwriter Sjoerd Hoogma. After years of struggling to the farthest corners of the country, he now presents his debut album Picking Flowers On The Moon. Fourteen songs long Writersday explores the different corners of pop music, influenced here and there by the country from Nashville. But he also navigates between the traditional music from Liverpool and Memphis, up tempo and accessible. What finally remains proud is that Writersday sounds authentic. The album is steeped in love for music and you can hear that in the production, in the careful lyrics, in Hoogma’s voice ( a light crack in his voice), but especially in the songs. With the first sounds of this album you are reminded of “the Road To Nowhere” by Talking Heads. The songs sometimes sound lucid and languid (Get Back) and sometimes cheerful and uplifting (Sunny Days). In fact, there is no weak number which  makes the album happy to listen to. It is a step in the deep for Hoogma and his band. The first step has been taken and it knows the potential for growth. Short for an excellent and surprisingly surprising album!

‘Groovy Art Rock that takes you on a intergalactic journey between heart and mind. Songs that remind you of U2 and Bowie with a perfect balance between the vintage analoge sound and modern loops and beats’.

Writersday’s continuous ambition to innovate their music has resulted in album number three with the mysterious title #PIP. With a third album in three years, the band with singer & performer Sjoerd Hoogma shows its staying power. “#PIP has a totally different approach than previous work. Starting with beats and loops, creating lyrics and stories, which give the songs more space, more groove ” according to the frontman. The new single Happy Accident is clearly an example of this approach, a song with a continuous bass line and a nice summer vibe. The fact that Hoogma has a writer’s talent was evident on Picking Flowers on the Moon, Writersday’s debut album. On #PIP his lyrics have more depth as they describe the soul of the present time. Happy Accident is no exception to this and creates an image of a community of “us and them” and “that’s how we do it here”. Apparently a heavy topic, though Writersday manages to make this sound like a delightful summer sing-along.