Real Farmer have been one of Europe’s most compelling punk acts in the making, and “Run By Animals” is the clearest signal yet of where their sophomore album is headed. The new single is out now via Strap Originals, and it arrives with a twist. Bassist Marrit Meinema steps to the front, taking full vocal duties while frontman Jeroen Klootsema steps back, revealing a slower, more ethereal side of the band that’s just as arresting as their rip-roaring punk output.
Recorded entirely analog to a 16-track tape machine at Far Out Sound Studios in Rotterdam and mastered by Mikey Young (Amyl and the Sniffers, The Chats), the track is driven by hypnotic bass and angular guitar, with Meinema’s lyrics cutting directly to the heart of societal indifference toward victims of violence and oppression. “Run By Animals is about society not listening to victims of violence, oppression, femicide,” she says. “Comfort is only afforded to those who are distanced far from these things. It’s hard to get people to listen, because it involves unlearning many wrong ‘truths’ that are deeply ingrained in the western world.” The video, directed by the band and Dylan Hayes, sees Meinema set fire to a handcrafted anarchist symbol in a cloak. It’s exactly as striking as it sounds.
The single is the 2nd preview of their upcoming album ‘Two Wrongs Don’t Make A Right,’ due spring 2026 via Strap Originals. Previous single “Missing Link” earned spins from Craig Charles and Steve Lamacq on BBC 6 Music, John Kennedy on Radio X, and Matt Wilkinson on Apple Music 1. Pan M 360 has already compared frontman Klootsema to Joe Talbot, Grian Chatten, and Amy Taylor. Louder Than War called him “a revelation, raw and powerful.”
Real Farmer spent 2025 tearing through Europe with headline tours and festival slots at Primavera Sound, Pitchfork Paris, The Great Escape, and The Libertines’ Gunnersbury Park festival, alongside support slots with Babyshambles and Protomartyr. Their signing to Peter Doherty’s Strap Originals says everything about the calibre of people paying attention.