Sad Singalong Songs
Sad Singalong Songs is an atmospheric and cinematic album built around restrained vocals, piano-led arrangements, subtle orchestration and a darker overall mood.
The album includes Birds, the song with which Anouk represented the Netherlands at the Eurovision Song Contest in Malmö in 2013. The song reached the grand final and finished ninth, marking the Netherlands' first qualification for the final since 2004.
Released during Anouk's Eurovision period, the album quickly became a major success: it had already reached platinum status on the day of release and later entered the Dutch Album Top 100 at number one.
Across its ten tracks, Sad Singalong Songs moves away from a rock-driven sound and focuses instead on melancholy, atmosphere, melody and controlled arrangement.
Several reviews described the record as dark, orchestral and filmic, with songs connected by soundscapes and a more unified mood than many of Anouk's earlier albums.
The visual side of the album also played an important role: the videos for Birds, Kill, Pretending As Always and The Good Life were directed by Dana Nechushtan and formed a thematically connected series.
