April Afternoon

April Afternoon is a Dutch new wave project by Amsterdam-based producer and musician Jelmer Luimstra. A debut EP, called ‘Words’, was released in late June, 2024. It covers a variety of dark wave compositions with multiple vocal layers. ‘Words’ consists of three singles ‘I’m Going Back’, ‘Modern Lovers’ and ‘The Chorus’, plus ‘Walking Through Your Day’, a somewhat darker track drawing inspiration from the EBM sound. "Words is very much rooted in the 80s electronic sound that so many great bands used and inhabits many memorable tracks", wrote Australian goth blog Onyx Music Reviews about the EP. April Afternoon released its first French, but mainly instrumental synthwavey single ‘Danse des Animaux’ in the summer of 2023. In January 2025, a Pain in the Yeahs remix of ‘Walking Through Your Day’ was released. On March 31, 2025, single 'Grim Reaper' was released with Chronic Dream and Pain in the Yeahs. Dutch music blog 3voor12 Noord-Holland praised 'Grim Reaper', describing it as an "introspective and dark" piece. In June, 'Super Connected' was released, a collaboration with Burnt Log. In October, 'Wide Awake' was released with Chronic Dream. A second EP is set to be released in 2026. ‘April Afternoon’ is a reference to a highly experimental '80s song by Dutch underground pop group Kiem. It serves as a reminder to avoid making compromises when it comes to art. Jelmer Luimstra is also the frontman of The Dark Wave. He fronted Captain Felix in the past.