This editorial, documented and written by Simone Lorusso, unveils a personal point of view on the dutch artistic duo. The musician and model siblings, Ruben and Matthijs Pol, released three singles in 2022, Comme Ça, Boys Are, and Modern Strange Love. Their synth-pop/new wave vein can transport you into a timeless space. Beyond the sound they produce, it’s the look of their persona that instantly involves you in their art. Once there, you’re pleasantly captured by their soul and you wouldn’t get away. What are they working on right now? To find this out, I visited them at home to experience an authentic live session in which the sound rocked the living room.
Simone Lorusso: Hey guys, I want to start our conversation by asking how the collaboration between you both came about. Specifically, what was your trajectory to becoming an artistic duo?
Ruben and Matthijs Pol: The whole process was very natural. As we are brothers, there was a strong innate bond from the start. Though, we didn’t out of the blue decide to become a musical duo. Artistically, we grew closer and closer together over time. The art and the music came first before we really gave it a name. We acted like a duo before calling ourselves a duo, and at one point it made the most sense to start the band together.
SL: I think you are a well-rounded artistic duo, how did you land music as your medium?
R&M: We are actually not entirely sure. What we do know is that music has always played important roles in our lives. But we also love to draw, paint, film, photograph, and sculpt. Our emotional connection is often strongest with music, which might be the answer to your question.
SL: Who were your formative music references, and how did you set the tone of voice for Pol Sound?
R&M: We draw our inspiration from everywhere, from visual artists to architecture and fashion, not just from other music. Naturally, we adore a lot of New Wave material, but we are also intrigued by for example De Stijl, New Romantics, some glam rock, brutalism and much more.
SL: Share your music aesthetic in 30 seconds.
R&M: [Link]
SL: You say that the single “Boys Are” is about toxic masculinity: instead, what does “Modern Masculinity” mean to you, and how do you think music can all help to break the current male rules?
R&M: We see modern masculinity as a celebration of expression and personality, without judgment. We believe in listening to emotion, feeling, and intuition–whatever the result of this may be. Music can be of help in many ways. It allows for vulnerability, and for stories to be told. It can also help in making stories travel and be heard. Ultimately, music can spark conversation and push for change.
SL: In your opinion, what is the crossover between fashion and music?
R&M: In our case, a lot of our initial inspiration originated through our endeavors in the fashion industry. We translate a lot of our experiences, and our feelings during these experiences, into our music. We believe there are seamless connections between all forms of art.
SL: Summarize your 2022 with a musical chord.
R&M: Am to A.
SL: What are you working on right now?
R&M: We are always looking for new ways to express our ideas and communicate our vision. A big part of this is the production process. Since we produce and mix ourselves, we try to push ourselves to keep learning and discover new gear, methods and skills. Besides that, we work on new music. Simone thank you again for visiting us, it was a true pleasure. See you on the 16th in Utrecht!
