pecq

On March 11th, rising alt-pop duo pecq share their second EP Brittle. The new record follows widespread support from tastemakers including BBC 6 Music, BBC Radio 1, Spotify, Notion and Dummy.

While the duo have spent much of their career producing, recording and writing for other artists, making music has been a compulsive part of identity forging for pecq. For multi-instrumentalist producer and drummer Nikò O’Brien, growing up tri-lingual, dyslexic and with 4 nationalities, music created a home and language that made sense beyond words and place. For composer, songwriter and lead vocalist Hannah ‘Jakes’ Jacobs, it’s been a survival mechanism for the constant crashes and peaks of a complex, uncontrollable immune condition.

Reflecting on the artistic process behind their music, Jakes says:
‘We recognised this sort of uncanny valley approach in each other’s music when we met - the sense of going about something familiar in a strange way. I guess what happens when you’re figuring yourself out in isolation. Both of us grew up without much of a blueprint. Producing together really clicked for us and we worked on a lot of music for other people.

But it wasn’t until we intensified that isolation - hunkered down in our closed studio during lockdown - that we started writing in a properly collaborative way. Sharing that compulsion to create as a coping mechanism kinda concentrated our weird ways of working - we went into a deep prog wormhole, made a bunch of instruments that screamed and piled through a lot of emotions.

Out of that chaos came a bunch of songs with a strange clarity, digging into stuff we hadn’t dealt with before. The Brittle EP in particular goes back into a lot of teenhood isolation. We like the trajectory of working through complex emotions alone, but winding up in the aftermath of my first house party in ‘Same Mistakes’.

We worked with Zak Watson on the visual interpretation of that journey - a full EP length film - and he totally nailed the uncanny valley feeling. This character travels alone through a landscape that’s familiar but unsettling and supernatural, falling in and out of worlds until finally arriving at a place of community, acceptance and disco balls.’ 

Today, March 11th, exciting Oxford-based pairing pecq (real names Nikò O’Brien and Hannah ‘Jakes’ Jacobs) release their all-encompassing second EP ‘Brittle’, and share a stunning accompanying video for new single ‘Same Mistakes’. Alongside, the duo have revealed a mesmerising long-form film, drawing together the awe-inspiring visuals that have supported the project, plus a slew of additional extras and supporting scenes. 

Building on a wave of plaudits from their journey so far, the ultra-talented indie outfit have cemented their penchant for pulsating alt/electro-pop motifs on this EP, supported by a run of stellar, well-received singles. As the much-anticipated follow-up to their debut - ‘Stranger’ - pecq set out with new ambitions, and this tantalising 4-tracker has delivered on all fronts. 

Hailed as ‘geniuses’ (BBC Introducing), ‘iconic’ (Lefuturewave) and ‘multi-faceted & gorgeous’ (Highclouds Mag), Dummy Mag have swooned over their inquisitive vocal stylings and shimmering electro-pop production aesthetic, with Notion stating: “expect big things”. Never ones to rest on their laurels, pecq have driven forward with intent, delivering a wholly diverse EP, with each component hitting a varying blissful note along the way.

So far, we’ve been treated to the ethereal, pulsating ‘Over & Over’, shimmering title track ‘Brittle’ and velvet-smooth pop bubbler ‘Too Far Gone’, all of which are tied together through an interconnected visual thread. 

The final single to be revealed, ‘Same Mistakes’, is yet another captivating gem and, in many ways, the perfect finishing touch. Infinitely catchy yet wholly reflective, it’s about “the aftermath of my first house party as a teenager” Jakes reveals. “It’s the last track on the Brittle EP, which goes back into a lot of teenhood isolation. We like the trajectory of working through complex emotions alone, but winding up in the aftermath of my first house party in Same Mistakes.” 

Across the full EP, pecq merge tantalising atmospheric indie with glistening electro-pop, allowing the duo to firmly flex their production and songwriting muscles along the way. And, it’s been quite the journey. 

While the duo have spent much of their career producing, recording and writing for other artists, making music has been a compulsive part of identity forging for pecq. For multi-instrumentalist producer and drummer Nikò O’Brien, growing up tri-lingual, dyslexic and with 4 nationalities, music created a home and language that makes sense beyond words and place. For composer, songwriter and lead vocalist Hannah ‘Jakes’ Jacobs, it’s been a survival mechanism for the constant crashes and peaks of a complex, uncontrollable immune condition. 

“Both of us grew up without much of a blueprint” says Jakes, “Producing together really clicked for us and we worked on a lot of music for other people. It wasn’t until we intensified that isolation - hunkered down in our closed studio during lockdown - that we started writing in a properly collaborative way. Sharing that compulsion to create as a coping mechanism kinda concentrated our weird ways of working - we went into a deep prog wormhole, made a bunch of instruments that screamed and piled through a lot of emotions.”

“Out of that chaos came a bunch of songs with a strange clarity, digging into stuff we hadn’t dealt with before. The Brittle EP in particular goes back into a lot of teenhood isolation” the band note, reflecting on the complex, heartfelt process. 

Beyond the EP itself, pecq have delivered an array of bespoke visuals alongside each single, culminating in the release of a full-length film which will be screened exclusively at North London venue New River Studios on March 16th, with a live performance from pecq plus support. 

“We worked with Zak Watson on the visual interpretation of that journey” pecq say, “he totally nailed the uncanny valley feeling. This character travels alone through a landscape that’s familiar but unsettling and supernatural, falling in and out of worlds until finally arriving at a place of community, acceptance and disco balls.”

 It’s the perfect roundoff for an incredibly diverse project that sees pecq at their very best, and further signifies their defiant reach into the dizzy heights of the alt-pop space.