Blood, Sweat, and Synths: How Pol Balances Brotherhood, New Wave Music and Fashion

If you discard being raw, it becomes boring. The Pol brothers grew up apart from music but found raw inspiration in the shapes and sounds of runway shows, blending post-punk edges with modern sensibilities

From the Runway to the Studio: How Fashion Led the Pol Brothers to New Wave

New Wave is a genre that has left a mark on the fashion world. Raf Simons and Hedi Slimane have championed its aesthetic, while Anthony Vaccarello’s work at Saint Laurent is steeped in New Wave influences. Even the universe Alessandro Michele created at Gucci carried a New Wave spirit. The Pol brothers were introduced to the world of New Wave through their involvement in the fashion industry.

Matthijs: During our first experiences in fashion there was quite a lot of New Wave music, both when we did fashion shows or were on set. When we started to make our own music, it naturally had these new wave sounds, and that’s why when we were showing each other the first demos that we made, we were like ’oh, wait, it actually is similar to what we’re doing’. We just started to create New Wave for ourselves. 

Ruben: Nowadays, Matthias and I are always surrounded by music. Growing up, it was the complete opposite, there was barely any music. We learned almost nothing about music. When our eyes got opened for the creative industry, that’s when we started to discover everything that’s out there that goes beyond music. It’s also about art and architecture or creativity in any shape or form. 

When you started to discover this whole new scene, were there any specific brands that you were working with at the time? 

M: The first show that I did for Dior, the soundtrack was from She Past Away, which is a Turkish New Wave, post-punk, kind of band. I also remember the first magazine I shot for was Office Magazine, from New York. During that shoot, there was so much New Wave and post-punk that they were playing. 

R: In the fashion industry, you come across [new wave] here and there. The other day, we did a casting and while waiting in line you hear Depeche Mode banging in the hall. Or, I was at a shoot before and you hear Talk Talk and all these other bands. There’s such a connection between fashion and New Wave that just makes sense. You have the Gucci show that had Fade to Grey by Visage as the soundtrack. Fashion and New Wave is connected and we just try to replicate this fire that the fashion industry gave us. When writing songs, we just want to get that feeling, and that fire again. When we’re in our apartment, we’d like to feel that exact same thing through the sound of music, that we do through fashion. 

Adrenaline, Butterflies, and the Raw Pulse of Pol’s Rough Sound

Carving out a niche in the 21st century could be hard. Pol have found a way in marrying it’s Eighties’ influence, with a contemporary sound that feels as modern, as something you heard in your dads car while growing up. Pol’s ability to merge the atmospheric textures of classic New Wave with a modern sensibility makes them a standout act in today’s music scene. For listeners who crave a revival of the synth-driven, emotionally resonant music of the past, Pol delivers with both authenticity and originality.

M: What got me into music is New Wave and it is the biggest core of everything that we do. Recently, I’ve been leaning into more new romantic sounds like the tracks from Visage or the early Spandau Ballet. It also extends to a lot of things, whenever things feel right, I tend to listen to it. I’ve been into a lot of the early The Beatles songs; just how they are so simple, but still so good. It’s something that I can appreciate, it’s just anything that feels right and makes sense in my head. 

R: I just had a phase, where I delved into everything surrounding, Throbbing Gristle. I knew some tracks, but I never dug into the story and the whole cult that was surrounding Throbbing Gristle and the kind of activist voice that they had back then and at the same time creating a whole new genre of industrial music. That fascinates me, when creative concepts are like combined. 

M: You also have for example, music and art, or music and and even architecture or sculpting. It’s like, what I said, more of a feeling rather than a specific band or one specific thing. We can find that feeling in everything. Even in the most random things. It’s kind of an extra sense. 

The Power of Rawness and Authenticity in Creation

Creativity is more powerful when it’s unfiltered, when it comes from a place of honesty rather than imitation – in a world where perfection is often polished to the point of sterility. As brothers and creative partners, the belief is at the core of everything Pol do. Our process isn’t about chasing trends or recreating what already exists; it’s about looking inward, trusting intuition, and letting the unexpected guide us.

M: You need both rawness and authenticity to create something that is of any value. Raw to me is that you look from within and that you find inspiration rather than trying to be something else or trying to copy someone else. We’ve been talking about inspirations and all of that, and I think you can get inspired, but the moment that you start to create yourself, you have to take all of that and then look from within and then create something that is your own – then it will automatically be raw and authentic. 

R: If you discard being authentic and discard being raw, it becomes boring quickly because then you would just try and copy things that are already there and it loses a sense of uniqueness and purpose.  For something to be interesting, it needs to have some added value and be different from what’s already out there.

M: In music, things can be overly produced that you lose that sense of authenticity in your sound and in the thing you’re doing.

But like to be slightly more concrete, how is this reflected in what you’re doing? 

M: We have this rule that whenever we create something — if we write a song, for example — you can accidentally copy something. We have had a few times where one of us is writing a song, and then the other one is like ’wait, this sounds vaguely familiar’, and then we realized that it’s something that we have heard. Then we have the rule that we don’t continue to work with that idea. Then we say ’OK, we have been brainwashed’, because we do want everything to be authentic. The moment that you start to copy it loses purpose for us.

R: With the rawness, that is another kind of rule that we have; in music production, but also playing live when we talk with our band members, we do like mistakes. It has to be a certain level of quality, but the moment that you do things that are perhaps accidental or not something you anticipated before, it can be the most incredible thing. It can add something genius and something people have never heard before. Rawness is something that you should want to capture. You don’t want to polish everything to what you might think is perfect. 

Interview with Matthijs and Ruben Pol – The Model Brothers

R: When growing up we did performances for our parents and showing each other things on 

guitar and on drums, but it only got to a more serious note around three years ago, when we started taking it to a more serious level of actually like doing music. 

M: Ruben already had his own [music] project for a while, then after a year we started linking because I was doing a lot of music myself. Then we organically started working together; just sending each other’s songs. Without any expectations, just purely creating and we figured out we’re both on the same wavelength of what we’re doing and the sound that we were after and the feel of certain songs that we’re after. 

R: It wasn’t like one moment where we’re like, OK, now we’re gonna start the band called Pol. It very organically flowed into this collaboration between me and my brother, which ended up being Pol.

From Small-Town Life to a Creative Calling and a Cultural Life in the Industry

Without access to a creative background or the influence of an artistic environment, the idea of pursuing a career in music seemed distant, almost unimaginable—something far removed from what they were expected to do. Instead, their early lives pointed them toward more conventional paths. It wasn’t until the brothers were introduced to the creative spheres they understood that music could be an actual occupation, and they got their eyes opened to another world out there. 

M: Growing up was nothing out of the ordinary for a Dutch family from a smaller town. Our parents were always open towards us, being busy with music, but they are not very much into music themselves, not at all. They’re doing something completely different. Because of that, we used to kind of view music as something you do on the side, not something you can spend your whole day on. 

R: When growing up, we were both pretty sheltered. We were pretty shy, not that outgoing,, also because we hadn’t found ourselves yet, like we explained that came later in life. Because of that it was nothing significant about how we spent our days as kids, we were just playing outside and going to school and that was about it. 

M: After we got scouted as models, and when we started traveling for for modeling work,  we got in touch with a lot of creatives; photographers, creative directors and other musicians. Then we started to learn about the creative industry as a whole, and that you can actually put your full focus towards that. 

R: Later, we learned that it is not completely random that we chose this path, because there’s a lot of great uncles and great grandmothers and great aunts that ended up doing very creative work from sculpting to building an organ in the middle of the Netherlands to running away from home in the 60’s and going to Paris to also work in fashion. So, it’s in the family, but it just skipped a generation with our parents. Although it felt random at first that we chose this path, it kind of makes sense that we are doing what we’re doing. 

M: It was just like a fun thing and when we started modeling and we got into this creative world, we were like ’holy shit, there’s so much more to this’, and that’s when we started to connect to the creative idea and the idea of creating something that that you feel inside and for us music was the way to to translate that.

Crafting a Total Vision—From Sound to Style

Their artistic vision extends beyond music, as the brothers’ background in high fashion—having modeled for brands like Saint Laurent, Gucci, and Dior—infuses their work with a unique aesthetic flair. When it comes to fashion, New Wave is characterized by bold, geometric shapes—sharp shoulders, slim ties, and asymmetrical designs. Its aesthetic embraces artifice and theatricality, using striking and unconventional styles to reflect the complexities of modern life. Rather than prioritizing simplicity, New Wave leans into self-awareness, often making a deliberate statement about the performative aspects of identity and fashion. It is a style that challenges norms, blending surreal elements with a polished, forward-thinking sensibility. A genre that the boys have been well-versed in. Their artistic vision extends beyond creating music and songwriting. For the past year, the duo have been the creators of all creative material surrounding the brand; designing merch and posters, creating videos and basically creating a whole creative vision.

M: It’s a big part of what we’re doing, but it comes from a very natural place. We noticed that we have this certain way of expressing ourselves through the music, and it just feels natural. For us, dressing in a way that aligns with our music makes everything cohesive—it gives off the same vibe we feel comfortable with and that excites us emotionally.

R: When you see bands that make music but show up on stage in casual outfits, it can detract from the whole experience. Having a cohesive live performance—including our appearance—is important to convey our message and style.

You would describe yourselves as mindful about how you present your image?

R: Definitely. We try to have everything speak the same language, whether it’s a video, artwork, newsletter, or something else. Everything needs to feel connected.

M: We recently went on tour, and while we were busy, we managed to pull together outfits naturally. It’s second nature to us—we’re aligned visually and creatively. It’s not something we force; it just feels like us.

M: We don’t work with a stylist. We’re handling so much ourselves—songwriting, producing, mixing, designing merch, creating artworks, concepts, and videos. It’s a lot, and we’d love to have more help in the future, but for now, we do it all.

Blood, Sweat, and Synths: How Pol Balances Brotherhood and Creativity

Working together as a creative duo while also being brothers is a unique mix of harmony and challenge. There’s an unspoken understanding, a shared history that makes collaboration seamless. Ideas flow naturally, shaped by years of mutual influences, and a deep-rooted trust. At the same time, the closeness can bring intensity—creative differences feel personal, and balancing work with family dynamics requires patience. The Pol-brothers have found a way of collaborating that is driven by passion rather than force.

M: It’s both a blessing and a curse—though more of a blessing. We have a deep bond, which helps us creatively. We complement each other and come up with ideas naturally. However, working so closely on personal projects means it can be hard when boundaries are crossed.

R: Over time, we’ve learned each other’s limits and found ways to navigate challenges. For example, in songwriting, we rarely write in the same room. Instead, one of us starts an idea, and if we get stuck, we send it to the other, who often sees what’s missing. It’s like a ping-pong process, and it works well for us.

Do you ever have disputes or moments where you can’t move forward?

M: Definitely, especially when we’re overloaded. We recently had some tough moments during the tour, but we sat down, talked things through, and figured it out. It’s harder because we’re brothers, but we usually come out stronger.

R: We’re alike in some ways and different in others. Creatively, we complement each other. Personality-wise, we’re not drastically different—neither of us is super shy or overly assertive. There’s a lot of overlap because of our shared life experiences growing up, but we’re still two distinct people.

Pol 

There is a strong likelihood that you know the new up-and-coming New Wave duo, even though you’ve never heard them. The sibling duo behind the band, Matthijs and Ruben Pol, have graced runways of Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent, Dior, and have made a strong presence in the high fashion world. They’re more than two pretty faces, for more than a year, the duo have been producing and performing under their surname. Despite their age, they are breathing new life into the New Wave genre with their striking blend of retro synth-pop, post-punk, and new romantic elements.

The two brothers grew up in the Netherlands, immersed in an ordinary upbringing. Their childhood revolved around the simplicity of daily life—school, afternoons spent playing with friends, and the occasional impromptu performance to amuse their parents. It was a routine existence, grounded in structure and predictability, worlds apart from the runways and creative circles they now navigate with ease. Yet, seeds of their creative journey began to take root. Whether it was the playful improvisation of their childhood performances or the quiet moments of observation in their small Dutch community, the foundation was being laid for their future in artistry and creative innovation.

Oliver Dahle

Team

Photography: Laura Friedli
Styling: Audrey Le Pladec
Hair: Tsuyoshi Tamai
Makeup: Donia Ben Najeh