pencil is Kamran Khan (vocals, acoustic guitar), Dom Potts (bass), Thomas Fiquet (drums), Cai Burns (lead guitar), and Coco Inman (violin).
With an eclectic range of influences, the five-piece have already established their self-professed “dusty” sound: percussive brushwork in dialogue with cushioned bass, the present bloom of airy vocals, sprawling guitars and violin trading airs in expressive swells and flurries. pencil fill space thoughtfully, with each member meshing timbres to create an emotional and textural gestalt. In October 2023, the quintet went big with their arresting début single, 'The Giant,’ spotlit by a billowing violin arpeggio and the bare grace of its vocals: Clash called it ‘bold, uncompromising artistry.’ The success of their first Moshi Moshi release whisked pencil out on the road to tour with The Japanese House. Following up with the melancholic groove of ‘The Window,’ pencil won even more appeal and support at the start of 2024. Shortly after So Young praised the ‘understated majesty’ of the second single, the band also secured a showcase 6 Music Session with Marc Riley.
pencil start 2025 with the release of 'Sparkling Water', a track which emerged spontaneously during a midnight writing session at PRAH Studios in Margate. Its spongy, shuffling rhythm and mellow Rhodes recalls the lounge-like shimmer of Stereolab and Broadcast, all the while retaining the mystical elements making it unmistakably pencil.
Source [Spotify]
out on March 19, 2025
via state51
out on February 12, 2025
via state51
out on January 22, 2025
via Slow Dance Recordings
out on January 31, 2024
via Moshi Moshi Records
out on October 11, 2023
via Moshi Moshi Records