With Pergola, Johan released their second studio album in 2001, securing the band’s definitive place in Dutch pop history. The album is filled with melodic guitar songs with a melancholic undertone and refined vocal lines by Jacco de Greeuw. Tracks such as Tumble and Fall, Pergola and Day Is Done showcase the power of subtle pop music that feels both timeless and distinctly Dutch. The title refers to the street where De Greeuw lived at the time, and the lyrics reflect personal themes such as loss, longing, and hope. Pergola grew into a classic and was awarded gold, a rarity within the Dutch alternative pop scene.
Jacco de Greeuw: “Pergola is a very dear album to me, created after a period of severe depression. Band members quit, a record deal in America fell through. I decided to continue with drummer Wim Kwakman and work hard on the album. Together with a listening ear, friend and producer Frans Hagenaars. It was a beautiful, joyful, but sometimes also sad process. I’m still very proud of the special end result: a record of trial and error, coping with disappointment, but also one that (more than I realized back then) contains a lot of hope and love. I’m in a good place now and eager to play live the album that means so much to Johan and me, 25 years later.”
