Following the release of their latest 12-track album ‘Paint The World Pink’, LOCK Magazine caught up with Dutch collective 45ACIDBABIES to discuss the inspiration behind the album along with future plans.
Hi 45ACIDBABIES and welcome to LOCK Magazine, for our readers, could you tell us a little about yourself?
We are 45ACIDBABIES. A multidimensional collective from the Netherlands. We are a four piece and our main focus is making music. Next to our musical adventures we have made it our mission to Paint The World Pink!
All four of us have inherently different personalities and visions, but together we work like a Power Rangers megaforce. Daniël forms a strong foundation with his producing skills. Nina empowers us with their feverish rhythms. Robin steals the show with his violent guitar sounds and colossal songwriting skills and the 45AB megaforce is driven by the artsy perspective, storytelling, immersive and colourful creative brain of Sob.
‘Paint The World Pink’ feels like a bold, rebellious manifesto. Can you walk us through the album’s overarching narrative?
“Paint The World Pink” is an invitation to step into your own power and become the superhero of your own story.
The album follows the journey of an outcast—an underdog trapped in the monotony of a world drained of color and life. On her home planet, an oppressive corporation watches over every citizen, enforcing control and conformity. People go about their days in grey clothes, wearing forced smiles, never daring to break the mold. Anyone who strays from the rules is swiftly dealt with…
Through trial and error, the protagonist breaks free from this suffocating grip, launching herself into a series of wild adventures. Along the way, she undergoes a transformation—becoming her own kind of superhero. When she reaches the peak of her power, she returns to rescue others like her: the misfits, the outsiders, the ones who never quite belonged. She gathers them, offering them a safe space where they too can embrace their inner strength and become the heroes of their own lives.
Together, they will PAINT THE WORLD PINK.
This album is a celebration of individuality and self-discovery and acceptance leading to an inclusive and diverse community, dedicated to those who have spent their lives feeling like outsiders—whether queer, neurodiverse, refugees, immigrants, or anyone who has struggled to find belonging. Paint The World Pink is a rebellion against conformity, toxic positivity, and oppressive norms, both within and beyond the creative industry. At the same time, it stands as an anti-war statement—wrapped in the warmth of a pink, fluffy embrace.
The dystopian setting of “Industry Inc.” is such a striking concept — what inspired this idea of a corporation forcing people into grey, obedient lives?
To be completely honest… the state of the world weighs on us. Everything has become an industry—driven by money, status, endless expansion. We race through life, glued to screens, bombarded with call-to-actions, opinions, and relentless consumerism, all while witnessing the chaos unfolding across the globe.
Somewhere along the way, we lost touch with what it means to be part of a living, breathing planet. Have you ever stood at the foot of a mountain? That kind of perspective shift is humbling. But most of the time, we’re boxed in by concrete walls, chasing deadlines, producing, performing—always trying to keep up, always trying to do the “right” thing.
The battle against Industry Inc. is about rejecting this industrialized, mechanical way of life. It’s a refusal to accept that existence should be reduced to productivity and profit. Sometimes, we just need to stop. To breathe. To look around and remember where we are. To pause, step outside, and touch grass again.
The album’s hero breaks free and creates a safe haven for underdogs. Is this a reflection of your own journey as a band or as individuals?
In a sense, yes! I feel like I experienced a small version of this when I first went to Music School. (Herman Brood Academie) At my regular school I was an outsider, I didn’t feel at home at all and I felt like ‘’the weird’’. I did own it, I was the emo kid with Toki-Doki clothes who was always daydreaming and drawing unicorns on my tests which I, ADHDer that I am, failed spectacularly.
When I started Herman Brood Acedemie everyone was ‘’the weirdo’’ which made for some funny scene’s and your regular portion of drama and high school musical like scenarios, which I look back on as a blossoming experience. I found the world’s most amazing people in this musician community at the Herman Brood Academie and the life that came after it.
The safe haven angle is an homage to ‘’Ballroom Culture’’. Ballroom culture is an African-American and Latino underground LGBTQ+ subculture. The scene traces its origins to the drag balls of the mid-19th century United States, such as those hosted by William Dorsey Swann, a formerly enslaved Black man in Washington D.C.. By the early 20th century, integrated drag balls were popular in cities such as New York, Chicago, New Orleans, Baltimore, and Philadelphia. In the mid-20th century, as a response to racism in integrated drag spaces, the balls evolved into house ballroom, where Black and Latino attendees could “walk” in a variety of categories for trophies and cash prizes. Most participants in ballroom belong to groups known as “houses”, where chosen families of friends form relationships and communities separate from their families of origin, from which they may be estranged The influence of ballroom culture can be seen in dance, language, music, and popular culture, and the community still exists today.
If you want to know more about Ballroom Culture. I recommend watching ‘’POSE’’
If listeners could take away just one message from ‘Paint The World Pink,’ what would you want it to be?
This album is a tribute to embracing your inner spark—especially for those who’ve spent their lives feeling like outsiders. Whether you’re queer, neurodiverse, a refugee, an immigrant, or anyone who’s ever felt out of place, this is for you.
You belong. Always. Never let the world dim your light. <3
The album’s lead single “Running In2 U” is infectious and anthemic — what was the creative process behind that track?
It all started with a video game: REZ. A tiny synth melody. A soft, clicky-clocky sound. Robin and I grew up playing REZ on the PS2—a game that follows a hacker diving deep into a malfunctioning AI system. As players navigate through waves of digital enemies, their actions shape the music, every shot and movement syncing with the soundtrack. Vibration feedback across different controllers adds to the immersion, aiming to create a sense of synesthesia. The story unfolds with minimal words, no dialogue—just abstract glimpses into themes of life, technology, and singularity.
We started thinking… What if the computer-controlled avatar had thoughts of its own? What if it was more than just a tool? A character constantly operated, constantly following commands—but what if it wanted something different? Would it feel lonely? Would it long for connection, for love, for meaning beyond its coded existence?
And there it is, The tiny version of the full ‘’Paint The World Pink’’ story.
What’s also a fun detail for the trained ear or maybe even the key factor about why this song is so catchy, is that writing this song was also a challenge to ourselves to write a song that stays interesting and fresh despite having just four chords. Yes, that’s right. The song is the same four chords the whole song through and only changes in melody, rhythm and dynamics.
From there, we went all in—robotic voices, soaring synths, baby choirs, dolphin sounds… the whole shabang.
This is the ultimate Pink song.
Your visual world is just as vibrant as your music! Can you tell us about the creative vision behind the “Running In2 U” music video?
Sob had a vision. Images in her head with video gamey features running around in the dark looking for connection. Connection in the shape of a 10-feet-tall Robot. Sob lived in Rotterdam for a few years and she loves the sci-fi-ish character of the city by night so it HAD to be filmed there. She also knew THE GUARD – Hans van Benthem, a statue in Rotterdam of a 10-feet tall, broad-shouldered and armed cyborg, just standing there, next to the skatepark and the arthouse cinema she often visited while living there. The Guard is a cross between a Transformer, Terminator, superhero and a mutant.
Working together with Ivan Hidayat, a filmmaker she met at a concert she played, she knew the vision would turn-out perfectly, because Ivan also has this great love for the exact same nerdy stuff we love.
We went out in the cold in tiny video game character clothes and filmed the whole night. It was a crazy thing to do.
We absolutely love the result and we can’t wait to share it with the whole wide world.
Your music often feels like a fusion of energy and chaos in the best way possible. How do you balance experimentation with accessibility?
We like to think we’re getting better with accessibility in our music through the years. That’s because we developed this big love for pop-songs and electronics in the past years.
When we started out we were so young! We just wanted to be rebellious, make weird stuff, be loud, be messy, have fun! Now we still do, but with aim, which makes it a bit less chaotic.
We listen to different music than we did back then.
(Sob) I can only speak for myself, but I used to think I hated pop-music. I was still in deep with my inner misogynist and still had this annoying urge to be ‘’one-of’the-boys’’ and all that jazz. I wanted to be a tough girl soooo bad. I rejected girly things cause I didn’t know yet that I’m actually a raging feminist. AND I LOVE GIRLS. GIRLS ARE THE BEST THING EVER!
This disconnect took many forms and one of them was thinking I just wanted to listen to weird rock music haha.
(In the meantime I secretly did things like learning the choreography of Paparazzi by Lady Gaga haha I don’t know puberty is so weird)
I think our (Robin and me) experimentational spirit also has to do with the fact that our beautiful parents raised us with so many different kinds of music. Our dad is a big Zappa fan and our mom loves the talking heads.
Falling in love with pop-music and everything girly will never make us lose our frayed edge.
Songs like “2012 (The Movie)” tackle complex themes with a rebellious energy. How do you use humour and playfulness to amplify your messages?
At the core, it’s all just rebellious messages—but make them rhyme, and suddenly, they hit harder.
No. What we mean is, the world can be a pretty dark place, especially when you’re constantly pushing back against injustice and polarization. Serious messages feel more approachable when wrapped in storytelling, sprinkled with glitter, and tied up in pink ribbon.
We’ve always been drawn to contrast—blending worlds that seem like opposites at first glance. Rebellious messages with irresistibly catchy melodies. Acid with baby choirs. We love building bridges, constantly searching for new ways to reconnect people. And honestly? That quest never really ends. People need to talk to each other more. We need more dialogue, more connection.
What was the most challenging song to create on this album, and why?
I actually do think it’s Running in2 U. It took forever to fall into place for me (Sob). If you look at our discography, you can see Running in2 U as an odd one out because it has a way softer character than almost all our other songs. This took us out of our loud-guitars-fuzzy-chaos comfort zone.
When the children choir’s’ ‘la la la la’s’’ were recorded and added in a very late stage of the song, I felt it. This is amazing. Before that it was a trust-the-process experience for me. Now it’s actually one of my absolute favourites.
I think the ‘’struggle’’ with finding peace with this song has to do with my inexhaustible love for it too. Feels like me and Running in2 U have been through it all. Our bond is unbreakable now.
Are there any tracks that hold special personal significance for each band member?
I told you about Running in2 you above, so that’s one clear.
Too L8 To Call Back is actually the first song with Nina on the drums!
Nina is our most recent addition and asset 🙂
Just before we finished recording the album they joined our band. We felt an instant connection when they auditioned and we’re so happy they are on this crazy ride with us now.
We only had one song left to be recorded and I believe it’s a one taker. The drums in the chorus make this song explode in the exact right way. Let’s go Nina!
Daniël is our producing wonder. He actually managed to build a whole studio in the past few years. It’s getting more and more professional by the minute and it’s so cool to see him grow into a sick producer. Working in Daniël’s studio opened a world of possibilities for us and it gives Techno Daniël the room to flourish, which can be heard on our 4th track of PTWP, ‘9Mann’’.
2012 (The Movie) is a song that was created on the morning of February 21st. I (Rob) and Sob had just separately seen Putin invade Ukraine and immediately called each other on the phone. We were quite scared of the consequences and decided to write a protest song against this. I believe the whole lyrics, structure, and a big part of the production was finished at the end of the day.
Your live shows have gained a reputation for being immersive and explosive. What can fans expect from your upcoming performances?
We play the music just like it is on the record—but with a huge boost of live energy, killer stage outfits, and, if the setup allows, IKIGAI-NOVA (Sob’s robot girlfriend) joins the party too.
When we have enough space on stage, we take things up a notch by adding intentional movement—some choreographed moments sprinkled throughout the set to make everything hit harder. We’re big Prince fans and have studied so many of his live performances. They’re so over-the-top, so extra… and honestly? They’re everything.
Thinking about these details—adding layers, elevating the experience—it’s like tying a bow on the whole show. Plus, piecing it all together is like solving the best kind of creative puzzle. And that? That makes my heart race.
The last 2 years we have been more involved in other art forms than music. In 2023 we worked together with KINKI, a hairdressing franchise that exactly matches our kind of people. They turn hairdo’s into works of art and an explosion of colour and their events are precisely that. It was a dream to be part of their party that could’ve just as well been one of our own. In 2024 we had a collaboration with mimeduo Deronde/Deroo for the Fringe Festival. These two things were already so exciting to do. Each one of us is involved in more different art forms than just music. Fashion, films, photography, drawing, everything you can think of! Those kinds of collaborations really fit in how we want to spread our music and messages.
What’s next for 45ACIDBABIES after this album release? Any exciting plans for 2025?
First some well deserved rest. Don’t worry, not too much. We have some shows planned in the coming months and we would love to go across the border as much as possible. Hopefully do some sick support shows out there. There is a circus extravaganza festival in June where we’ll be making a joint show with the circus artists. That’s something we’re especially looking forward to!
And of course we can’t wait to get back into the studio and start working on the next one (we actually already have, wink wink).
Finally, if someone is hearing your music for the first time through this album, what’s the one thing you’d want them to know about 45ACIDBABIES?
We mean business, get in and buckle up