On the latest album by the Utrecht post-punk band Bowl, The rude interruption of fear, Vos Ploeg sings openly about his mental health issues. In 2023, Bowl won the Utrecht band battle ‘Clash of the Titans’, in the former dB’s venue. This gave the band, which had only been performing for six months, an enormous boost. We spoke to singer Vos Ploeg on the terrace of the new dB’s location. Guitarists Pascal Mosterd and Jorah Peterse have joined him. Part 2 of your new album The rude interruption of fear, is very different from Part one. Is there a reason for that? ‘The first part sounds quite chaotic. It’s about the storm that was raging inside my head five years ago. I’d just found out that I have OCD. The tone of the second part is lighter, as I’m putting my OCD into perspective. I’m observing the symptoms and how they affect my life. I really wanted the second part to be about how everything turned out OK in the end, but unfortunately I had a relapse when we were about to make the album.’ Do you want to tell us a bit more about what was going on? ‘I had all these intense, anxious thoughts in my mind, about going mad and harming other people. I invented all kinds of rituals to counter the thoughts. When I was really scared about going mad, for instance, I kept repeating my name to myself and what I did. And when I was worried about harming someone, I hid all the knives. It was that bad. I found out that I have OCD thanks to professional help. This made things clearer for me, and persuaded me that nothing dreadful would happen to me or those around me.’ bowl-artikel When did you decide to use this topic in your lyrics? ‘I felt as if I had to. I want to raise awareness of the subject, offer support to people who are going through the same thing. You can’t just conquer your fears. It’s a difficult subject, and slightly taboo. People find it difficult to open up to friends or family, but it’s really important to speak openly about it. And it helps to know that everything will be all right again. You have to know when to ask for help and find people to talk to. Whatever’s going on in your mind, it’s important to remember that you’re just an ordinary person and you’re doing well just by being there. There’s nothing wrong with thinking like this.’ Is your type of music, post-punk, right for such a serious topic? ‘The topic’s right for any type of music, but the chaotic, aggressive nature of post-punk helps. The lyrics might not always be clear, perhaps even a bit cryptic in places, but people recognise it in our music because the story’s becoming more visible. There are actually a lot of people with OCD out there, and art can be a great way of letting off steam if you’ve spent all day acting out a different version of yourself.’ How are you doing at the moment? ‘Up and down, I just had a relapse. So it’s back to the drawing board for me, along with the therapist. This isn’t going to go away, so I have to learn to deal with it. I think these relapses will always be part of my life. The main thing is learning to handle them.’ 23 May 2025, ACU, acu.nl