Dutch alternative indie rock band After Eight release their debut EP, The Reach, a five-song exploration of vulnerability, longing, love, and the things that can break us
Dutch alternative indie rock band After Eight are set to introduce themselves with their debut EP, The Reach. Written over the course of two years and recorded at Raiko Records with Stijn Donders, the five-track release captures the band’s ability to move between heavy, energetic rock and quieter, more fragile moments.
After Eight began in early 2023, when guitarist Jelle van der Sar was preparing to leave his childhood home. He and vocalist and guitarist Sonja Wilhart decided to mark the occasion with a garage concert. They performed mostly covers alongside two original songs. The audience reaction to those originals quickly convinced the musicians that there was something worth pursuing.
Drummer Joram van Noort joined the band in March 2023, reconnecting with Sonja after the two had made music together as teenagers. Not long afterwards, the band decided to focus exclusively on original material.
With this shift in vision, After Eight began searching for a bassist to expand their live sound and met Sako Milikian. When the search for an additional guitarist began, Sako suggested his former bandmate Tim Grootscholten. Tim joined as lead guitarist, completing the lineup that would define After Eight’s current sound.
Today, After Eight consists of Sonja Wilhart on vocals and guitar, Jelle van der Sar on rhythm guitar, Joram van Noort on drums and backing vocals, Sako Milikian on bass guitar, and Tim Grootscholten on lead guitar. Together, the five musicians have developed a polished and carefully considered live sound that combines their varied musical backgrounds.
The band’s music draws from indie rock, alternative rock, and folk rock, with elements of experimental rock, shoegaze, and post punk. Their influences range from Radiohead, Mother Mother, Nothing But Thieves, Deftones, Arctic Monkeys, Geese, Royal Blood, Big Thief, and Black Country, New Road to countless ideas discovered beyond the boundaries of rock and folk.
Much of After Eight’s songwriting begins with Sonja, whether it is a lyric, an idea, or a feeling. From there, songs develop collectively during band sessions, often taking unexpected turns along the way. A bridge might shift direction, or an arrangement might create a moment that catches the listener off guard. The result is music that can be loud and intense one moment, then intimate and vulnerable the next.
“The Reach is about the experiences that make us human,” says the band. “The pain of running away, the complexity of loving, the choices we make, and the feeling of longing for something while being afraid of it at the same time. The things that touch you most are also the things most capable of breaking you. The Reach finds beauty in that vulnerability. It’s loud where it needs to be, but fragile where it has to be.”
The EP opens with “Dress And A Veil,” a song about imagining a future with a partner, only to discover that the future you built in your head will never happen. It explores the anger and grief that come with letting go of that imagined life.
“Blinded” explores the comfort of a warm and uncomplicated connection with a good person, alongside the realization that they are not the person you are meant to be with.
On “All By Myself (So Quiet),” After Eight explores the desire for connection, warmth, and comfort, while confronting the fear of both loneliness and intimacy. The song lives in the tension between wanting someone close and finding safety in your own company.
“Running Just To Hide” turns towards escapism, capturing the instinct to run from the things that feel impossible to face.
The EP closes with “The Medicine You Take,” a song about choosing someone else’s wellbeing even when it conflicts with your own desires. It also explores the fear that expressions of love may not be sincere and the lingering anxiety that, eventually, everything could return to the way it was before.
For After Eight, The Reach represents the culmination of two years of writing, recording, and developing their sound. What began as a spontaneous garage concert has grown into a five-piece band with an ambitious and distinctive approach to alternative rock.
After Eight make music for people who want something they can scream or sing along to in the car, dance to in their living room, or listen to late at night with a glass of wine. The Reach invites listeners into that space, where intensity and vulnerability can exist side by side.
Tracklist
1. Dress And A Veil
2. Blinded
3. All By Myself (So Quiet)
4. Running Just To Hide
5. The Medicine You Take
Artist Bio
After Eight is an alternative indie rock band from the Netherlands. Loud and energetic at times, quiet and moody at others, the band combines indie rock, alternative rock, and folk rock with touches of experimental rock, shoegaze, and post punk. The band consists of Sonja Wilhart (vocals and guitar), Jelle van der Sar (rhythm guitar), Joram van Noort (drums and vocals), Sako Milikian (bass guitar), and Tim Grootscholten (lead guitar). With each member bringing a different set of musical influences, After Eight creates an authentic, experimental, yet accessible sound that moves between heavy and fragile.
Genre: Indie rock, alternative rock, folk rock
Additional influences: Experimental rock, shoegaze, post punk
Debut EP: The Reach
Recorded at: Raiko Records
Produced and recorded with: Stijn Donders
Find After Eight:
Spotify: After Eight on Spotify
YouTube: After Eight on YouTube
Instagram: @aftereightband on Instagram
TikTok: @aftereightband on TikTok
Website: aftereightofficial.com