Kregel – #7 (Digital EP – Wagonmaniac Music)
Flemish trio Kregel was formed in 2016 and began releasing EPs in 2020. In the meantime, the band has already arrived at “#7,” a new release featuring four fresh tracks.
Kregel is quite a remarkable band because there are not many acts like them around. Musically, they are deeply rooted in the spirit of the 1980s, particularly the New-Wave and Post-Punk era. That alone is not unusual nowadays, but what truly makes the group stand out is their decision to sing in their native language while delivering wonderfully absurd and abstract lyrics although with a deeper and sometimes sensitive content. Of course, the concept is not entirely unprecedented. Fans of Aroma Di Amore and Arbeid Adelt! will immediately recognize where part of the inspiration originates. Still, Kregel succeeds in translating those influences into something that feels fresh and contemporary. “#7” sounds wonderfully Post-Punk throughout, with one of the tracks even containing a subtle nod to The Stooges. At times the music may appear somewhat simplistic, yet this is compensated by its sheer effectiveness and the dark, menacing atmosphere that runs through the entire EP. The songs gradually build toward hypnotic crescendos and repeatedly invite the listener onto the dance floor.
Kregel may ultimately remain a phenomenon primarily appreciated within Flanders, but I genuinely believe the band possesses enough originality and potential to break through much further. As far as I am concerned, this is one of the finest Belgian discoveries of recent years. (Rating:8).
Listen to “Dode Mus”:
About Kregel
Kregel is a post-punk and new-wave trio from Borgloon in the south of Belgian Limburg. The band took its current three-piece shape around 2016, growing out of the members’ earlier groups, and consists of Bart Timmermans on vocals, bass, programming and synthesizers, with Sven Derwa and Jeroen De Smet on guitars. With no permanent rhythm section in place, the band automated the low end and the beats, so a computer supplies the bass and drums under Timmermans’ direction while the two guitars carry the songs. Kregel sings in Dutch and pairs distorted guitars and tight rhythms with a do-it-yourself punk spirit.
The band started issuing its numbered EP series in 2020 and has worked steadily through “#1” to “#6” for Wagonmaniac Music. “#7” arrived on 31 March 2026 with four tracks. Its opening song “Dode Mus” was recorded at the end of August 2025 at the UER-studio in Hasselt, with text and music credited to Timmermans, Derwa and De Smet, and continues the Dutch-language Post-Punk approach that has run through the group’s earlier releases.
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