Snowstar Records

For years, filmmaker and composer Jeroen Houben had the dream of combining his two great loves, music and film, into one project. The result is the musical film Torch Song, which he not only wrote and directed but also took on the music composition.

Houben wrote several songs from the perspective of the main character, Liz; an eccentric singer from America who comes to the Netherlands to visit her estranged half-brother. Her role is played by Swiss actress Carla Juri, known from Blade Runner 2049 and Wetlands, among others. Her singing was recorded entirely live on set, giving the film remarkable authenticity.

Houben: “I felt it was important that the songs in the film should not become some sort of musical interlude, but really serve a narrative function. Each song is part of the story, and helps you get closer to the character of Liz.”

Torch Song has been selected by the Netherlands Film Festival for the Gouden Kalf Competition 2024. The film, produced by Family Affair Films, will premiere on September 21 at the Netherlands Film Festival and will be released by Gusto Entertainment on January 23, 2025.

Growing up in his parents’ TV shop, Jeroen Houben’s fascination with cinema began at a young age with the creation of short films and animations. Graduating as a graphic designer and filmmaker, he made music videos for artists such as De Jeugd van Tegenwoordig and Ronnie Flex, and wrote and directed several internationally acclaimed short films, including BEST WISHES, HOME SUITE HOME, and GIPS.

Houben has been a lifelong musician and previously composed music for various short films. His feature film DE MATCHMAKER attracted more than 100,000 visitors to Dutch cinemas and earned him a Gouden Film award.

Torch Song (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is now available for streaming on all platforms
and available on CD, Vinyl and Digital Download via the Snowstar Records Webshop

Shortly after releasing Odysseus, De Toegift now releases the second single liefde is lang from their upcoming album kleine auto, grote hot wheel (release date February 7, 2025).

Upbeat drums and guitars cheerfully march through a landscape of dreamy strings and a fleeting flute. Liefde is lang is the colorful and exuberant new single from De Toegift, which starkly contrasts its sober predecessor, Odysseus. Frontman Maxim Ventulé compassionately takes the listener's hand in liefde is lang, and with his band, poetically sings about the search for what love can be when fully surrendered to it.

The cover art is a work born from a collaboration between visual artist Marijn van Kreij and Maxim Ventulé. Together, they created a series of collages and drawings that try to capture the renewed sound world of De Toegift.

The music video is an ode to love in the broadest sense of the emotion. Art, kitsch, the 90s, everyday objects, color, dogs, oil pastels, and sex all flash by in a whirlwind. Visual artist Minne Ponsen and Maxim Ventulé find common ground in their shared love for drawing and explore their common visual language with a playful explosion of color and joy.

On February 7, 2025, De Toegift will release their second album kleine auto, grote hot wheel via Snowstar Records, followed by a club tour through Dutch music venues that same month.

13 feb - PaRaDox, Tilburg
15 feb - EKKO, Utrecht
22 feb - Paradiso, Amsterdam
27 feb - Rotown, Rotterdam
20 feb - Merleyn, Nijmegen
21 feb - Der Aa-Theater, Groningen
08 apr - AMOR, Antwerp (BE)

Listen to liefde is lang on all streaming platforms
or get the high-quality download at the Snowstar Webshop

Pre-order the upcoming album kleine auto, grote hot wheel on CD or Vinyl

Composer and filmmaker Jeroen Houben will release his musical film Torch Song on September 21, which he not only wrote and directed but also composed the music for. Alongside the film, the soundtrack Torch Song (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) will be released via Snowstar Records, with the first sounds heard in Strangers, accompanied by a music video.

The song Strangers is sung by Swiss actress Carla Juri, known for Blade Runner 2049 and Wetlands. Her singing was recorded entirely live on set, giving the film and songs remarkable authenticity. In Torch Song, she plays the main character Liz, an eccentric singer from America who comes to the Netherlands to visit her estranged half-brother.

Torch Song has been selected by the Dutch Film Festival for the 2024 Gouden Kalf Competition. The film, produced by Family Affair Films, will premiere on September 21 at the Dutch Film Festival and will be released by Gusto Entertainment on January 23, 2025.

Listen to Strangers ft. (Carla Juri) on all streaming platforms
or get the high-quality download at the Snowstar Webshop

Shortly after completing the debut album, De Toegift's Maxim Ventulé – songwriter and frontman – ventured alone towards the tiny Danish island of Fur during the shortest days of winter to isolate himself and work on a film. The journey initially began as a tribute to his great-aunt, who had traveled alone her entire life and then left her collection of slides to him. "Through her slides, I got closer to her memories. This inspired me to make a similar journey to get closer to her in that way too."

The alienated snowy landscape, the frozen sea, and the high chalk cliffs of the island inspired the setting of a new story in which the character Odysseus flees his past and is accompanied by the spirits of his loved ones. The Greek hero has become afraid of the sea and moves forward in a small white car. The song meanders like a road trip through the melancholic thoughts of Odysseus, wondering if he will ever make it home again.

Listen to Odysseus on all streaming platforms
or get the high-quality download at the Snowstar Webshop

Donna Blue - musical duo and couple Danique van Kesteren and Bart van Dalen from the Netherlands - released their bilingual (English/French) album Into The Realm of Love. To be filed under Nancy & Lee, Serge Gainsbourg, and Julee Cruise with inspiration also drawn from film composers such as Ennio Morricone, Into The Realm of Love has a sound that leads the way into the bygone world of poets, dreamers, the hazy Côte d’Azur, and old 60’s spy movies.

The album's dreamy vintage romanticism is mirrored in the often-esoteric subject matter of the songs, blending mythology, the celestial, and exotica with personal songs that talk of the duo’s more contemporary experiences and their love of classic storytelling.

Donna Blue: “For us, writing and recording this second album was more playful, easier than the first one. Making your official debut adds a lot of pressure and you really want it to be just right. We could let go of that this time around and felt more sure-footed in our musical style and taste. This meant we could lean deeper into our niche without forcing ourselves to stick to a specific genre or getting burned out on perfectionism, we were able to just follow where the songs take us.”

Into The Realm of Love is out now on CD, Vinyl, and digital via Snowstar Records.

Listen to the album on all streaming platforms
Order the album on CD and Vinyl here