Dark, danceable, ecstatic and recognizable. The Belgian band Oproer has been known to leave no one unmoved with their intoxicating mix of poppy alt rock and funky postpunk. Two years after their debut album ‘We’re All Late Tonight’, the five-piece cuts deeper with follow-up ‘The Catch-, one again relentlessly highly infectious tunes and riffs.

When Oproer started to attract media attention in home country Belgium by 2023, they had already gained and electrifying live reputation with their energetic and tight live shows, earning them a loyal fanbase. From supporting Fantastic Negrito on a successful European tour to selling out iconic venues like De Vooruit (Ghent) and Het Depot (Louvain), the only is undeniably up for OPROER. After a handful of singles and the ‘Closed Session EP’ (recorded live in one take), the band released their debut ‘We’re All Late Tonight’ in late 2023: a collection of poppy/funky alt rock songs with an edge, presented with a sold-out and steamy release show at the Ancienne Belgique in Brussels.

On sophomore album ‘The Catch’, Oproer digs deeper, with frontman/lyricist Dries van der Schueren drawing inspiration from turbulent times. “I lost a few people close to me, some people in the family were struggling with health issues and I’m completely swamped with a gruelling renovation, while feeling the need to write music and make a new album. It’s a challenge to try and find a balance between the things happening around you and your own personal issues. That struggle runs through a lot of the songs, and my job as a therapist helped to pour some of that intense stuff in the songs.”

The feeling of chasing things, love, life, and trying to catch up, is a recurring theme throughout the album. But the album is also about all the different choices life has to offer, and how a choice that seems right at first may have consequences later. So, you ask yourself: what’s the catch?