THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “A cigarette butt is something you carelessly throw away or stomp on, after you have enjoyed it. Short puffs, long pulls, deep into your lungs and brain. Then hit the ground with it, on to the next rush. Let that describe the music of Peuk (Dutch for cigarette butt). This trio from Limburg (east of Belgium) like to lay a layer of tar on your soul and, when listened to, is as addictive as nicotine. Think Hole, think Pixies, think Sonic Youth, think The Breeders. Think Peuk. The name was once on a drum kit in a thrift store. Peuk was fun, and still is.
Nele Janssen, a venison on vocals and guitar, is as short and sweet as the band name. A meeting in a Hasselt record store and some frivolous text messages sealed the fate. After a few personnel changes and a bang-up 2019 self-titled album, there is now a fresh and shiny pack of goodies in the shop window. With swinging battering ram Dave Schroyen (ex-Evil Superstars, Millionaire) behind the drum skins and devil-out-of-a-box Jacky Willems (Heisa) on bass.
The experienced trio threw out all the stops and dove into the studio together last fall for their second record Escape Somehow. “I had a bunch of ideas in my head”, says Nele, who worked out all the demos on acoustic guitar, only to take it to the band and power through it together. “The lyrics come from someone who has lived. Packed into catchy tunes that we could work on while rehearsing and laced with choruses that I felt immediately,” beams bassist Jacky.
Don’t think it, do it. DIY. Everything worked. Escape Somehow is less naive and more melodic than the thunderous debut. The song titles remain as short as they are witty. All ten songs float on a successful dynamic between soft and hard. Pushing the gas pedal, putting on the brakes, leaving room for experimentation. Escape Somehow is layered like the tastiest flan, topped with a frothy layer of fuzz.”
