Electronic duo pecq return with spiralling tribute to lost loved ones, 'freer'

 London-based producer and multi-instrumentalist duo pecq return today with new single 'freer', out now via their own Upcycled Sounds label. pecq are Hannah 'Jakes' Jacobs and Niko O’Brien. Formed in a Paris basement and now based in London, the pair make exploratory electronic pop that sits somewhere between indie, experimental dance and ambient psychedelia.

Moving from raw, intimate electro-indie into soaring harmonies and bass-heavy breakbeats, new single 'freer' finds pecq exploring how grief heightens our attention to the everyday, finding traces of lost loved ones in the world around them.

"'freer' is about the point in grief where you become hyper-connected to tiny moments around you and you start finding people you’ve lost ‘dissolved into everything’ - in nature, in the sudden quiet at the end of the night, in the wind on a street corner," the band explain.

"The track was written after both of us had a loved one take their own life. In each case, they had also been the person who was our most formative musical influence. We wanted to capture something about the bittersweet way loss can connect you as well as break you.”

Those loved ones’ presence is woven into the track through inherited instruments and samples of old jam sessions. The lyric "dissolved into everything" became central to the production, with sounds constantly evolving and deteriorating - recorded at different speeds, re-pitched and repeatedly resampled through tape loops, spring reverb and granular effects.

Drawing on influences from Boards of Canada, Ultraísta, Sampha, Caribou and the UK’s underground dance scene, pecq's work moves fluidly between skittering breakbeats, warped alt-pop melodies and immersive ambient textures. Their music explores isolation, connection, grief, distance and identity, often finding emotional weight in the space between organic musicianship and highly manipulated electronic sound.

New single 'freer' follows pecq's 2024 EP 'red moon, rare night', which earned support from BBC Radio 1, BBC 6 Music, DJ Mag, DIY, Wonderland and CLASH. Since then, the duo have worked on collaborations and remixes with Kate Ireland, Fractures and TATYANA, with a collaboration with Nuage also forthcoming on Hospital Records. Beyond pecq, their work as producers, musicians and collaborators spans artists including Arlo Parks, Barry Can’t Swim, Lynks and Elizabeth Fraser.

With a swiftly growing online following and a reputation for their transportive live performances, the pair have played festivals such as The Great Escape and Glastonbury, alongside a succession of sold-out London headline shows. With new music leading towards their debut album, pecq are continuing to push their sound into increasingly ambitious and expansive territory.

New single 'freer' is out now via Upcycled Sounds. pecq play an intimate headline show at SJQ in London on 9th November where they will showcase new material set to be revealed over the coming months. Tickets on sale here.

LIVE DATES

09 Nov - SJQ, London