OPROER signs with V2 and announces new album
Today, OPROER announces their second studio album ‘The Catch’, which will be released on October 17 via V2 Records. To mark the occasion, the band is already sharing a new track with their fans: listen now to Sweet Fame.
Dark, danceable, ecstatic, and familiar: the Belgian band OPROER leaves no one untouched with their addictive mix of poppy alternative rock and funky post-punk. Two years after their debut album We’re All Late Tonight, the five-piece band cuts deeper with The Catch, once again delivering irresistibly catchy riffs and melodies without compromise.
When OPROER started attracting national media attention in 2023, they had already built a rock-solid live reputation thanks to their energetic and tight performances, earning them a loyal fan base. After a few singles and the Closed Session EP (recorded live in one take in 2021), the band released their debut We’re All Late Tonight at the end of 2023: a collection of poppy/funky alt-rock songs with a sharp edge.
On their second album The Catch, OPROER digs deeper. Frontman and lyricist Dries van der Schueren draws inspiration from turbulent times: “I’ve lost a few people close to me, there are family members with health issues, and I’m up to my ears in an exhausting renovation project, while at the same time I want to write music and create a new album. It’s a challenge to find balance between what’s happening around you and your own struggles. That battle is reflected in many of the songs, and my work as a therapist helped me to channel those intense feelings into music.”
The feeling of chasing things — love, life — and constantly trying to keep up, is a recurring theme on the album. But The Catch is also about the many choices life offers, and how a choice that initially seems good can later have consequences. So you ask yourself: what’s the catch? Despite the heavy themes, The Catch doesn’t feel heavy, thanks in part to the clever and infectious melodies of Jérôme Pringiers (keys), who wrote most of the chord structures and arrangements: “I usually start from a certain feeling. In recent months, I’ve felt a lot of hope, and that’s where much of our melodies come from. In contrast, Dries’s lyrics are darker and more somber, and in a strange way that combination really worked.” The result is an album full of energy, hope, and pop sensibility. The 80s synths on Cold Feet lift the track into a sing-along dance anthem, while ecstatic guitars support the darker theme of the current single Sweet Fame. “With this album, we’re bridging the gap between who we are on record and who we are live. Unlike our previous album, this time we made clear decisions more quickly about how a song should sound. It was immediately clear whethDark, danceable, ecstatic, and familiar: the Belgian band OPROER leaves no one untouched with their addictive mix of poppy alternative rock and funky post-punk. Two years after their debut album We’re All Late Tonight, the five-piece band cuts deeper with The Catch, once again delivering irresistibly catchy riffs and melodies without compromise.
The Catch was recorded with Mathias Stal (producer/engineer/mixer), who also worked on OPROER’s debut and has collaborated with acts like Kids With Buns and Ramkot. The artwork is by Studio Koevoet, who also designed the cover for the first single Cold Feet and are responsible for OPROER’s complete new visual identity. The Catch will be released on October 17 and will be launched with a festive release show on December 6 at Ancienne Belgique. In addition, a few more shows are planned this year, including in the Czech Republic and Sweden, after which the band is gearing up for an exciting and busy spring and summer in 2026.
