Dutch rocker Harry Kappen just dropped a different kind of fire. Forget the protest anthems – his third single, “Be Brave If You Can” (off the album Four) isn’t about smashing chains. It’s about enduring the damn storm when you can’t fight back. And in 2025, with wars raging and noise pollution at max volume, this quiet contemplation hits harder than a power chord.
Kappen, the multi-instrumentalist, producer, and crucially, certified music therapist, takes a sharp left turn. Moving past the audacity of tracks like Wargames or Break These Chains, “Be Brave If You Can” nosedives into vulnerability. But hey, this isn’t weakness we’re talking about. It’s the real, gritty truth from someone who spends every day with teenagers and families navigating emotional minefields. Kappen knows the score: sometimes, survival is the bravest act. As he puts it bluntly, “Deal with it and try to make the best of it… you can’t ask that of everyone.” Real talk.
Musically, Kappen flexes his art-rock skills big time, pulling from that wild mix of Paul McCartney, Prince, David Bowie, Radiohead, and Knower that makes his sound what it is. The track takes those deep, personal lyrics and wraps them in subtle melodies – we’re talking less arena anthem, more like that 3 AM heart-to-heart with your best friend, just turned up. It’s got all the soul of a singer-songwriter but with an art-rock edge that keeps you guessing. The minimalist lyric video, acting as a self-portrait, mirrors this stark honesty – just Kappen, nothing fake about it.
This is where Kappen’s dual life as a music therapist and educator bleeds into his rock authenticity. You feel the empathy forged in clinical settings; the understanding of the human spirit pushed to its limits. He’s not up there ranting and raving; instead, he’s throwing out a lifeline to anyone who’s just exhausted: hey, you can find peace by being still and accepting yourself. While everyone else is screaming louder and louder about resistance, Kappen’s over here reminding us that keeping your cool when everything’s falling apart? That’s pretty hardcore too.
“Be Brave If You Can” proves vulnerability isn’t the opposite of rock; sometimes, it’s the core. Harry Kappen invites the real fighters: those just trying to hold on – to lean in and feel the quiet strength. Rock solid.