Robin Kester[1] is a Dutch musician and songwriter [2] from Rotterdam. Her band consists of Sam van Hoogstraten (guitar), Thijs Visscher (bass), Joep van Osch (drums) and Stef Koenis (keyboards).[3] Her music style is often compared with that of Beth Gibbons and Weyes Blood.[4]
First EP and Tour
In 2018 the EP Peel the Skin was released by the Amsterdam record label At Ease.[5] The following year she was the support act for the Irish band Villagers.[6][7] In 2020 the mini-album This Is Not a Democracy was released by the same label (coproduced with Moss-frontman Marien Dorleijn). It included contributions from, amongst others, Conor O'Brien.[6][8] The mini-album was chosen as the best album of 2020 by the editors of 3voor12,[9] and it received four stars in De Volkskrant.[10]
In 2022 she released new music. The singles Cat 13 and Leave Now were debuted on BBC 6 Music,[11][12] and both were chosen as track of the week in De Volkskrant.[13][14]
ESNS en Press Play
In 2021 she performed at Eurosonic Noorderslag.[15][16][17] On 5 May 2021 she was nominated for the Zilveren Notekraker.[18] In 2022 a demo version of her track Day is Done was used in the American film Press Play.[19] In March 2022 she also performed at the American cultural festival SXSW in Texas.[20] In October 2022 she was the support act for the British rock band Muse (after an invitation from their lead singer Matt Bellamy) in the Amsterdam Carré.[21]
Honeycomb Shades
In February 2023, her debut album Honeycomb Shades was released. Containing 11 songs, it was produced in collaboration with Marien Dorleijn, whose studio in the forest of Den Dolder was used for recording.[22] Positive reviews were received from the De Volkskrant,[23]Parool,[24]OOR,[25]Trouw[26] en NRC.[27] Following the release, Robin Kester and Amber Arcades undertook a joint tour in the Netherlands, again positively reviewed.[28][29] The album was nominated for the 3voor12 Award for the best album of 2023,[30] reached the 'Eindlijst' (twenty best albums) of the music journal OOR[31] and the list of the 40 best albums in De Volkskrant.[32] NRC called Honeycomb Shades the best Dutch album of 2023.[33]
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