The Jacques’ debut album The Four Five Three saw the London / Bristol band earn glowing comparisons to Arctic Monkeys, The Who and The Kinks; support The Libertines; and win radio support from Huey Morgan, Huw Stephens, Don Letts, Chris Hawkins and John Kennedy – all of which they built upon with Steve Lamacq and BBC Introducing airplay for the recent Tall Tale Man EP. Now their second chapter heats up as they share the new single Via Dolorosa ahead of the release of the Make Repetition album on 27th June.
The Jacques
Via Dolorosa moves in the middle-ground between the UK’s rich heritage of lyrically astute guitar pop and the laconic cool of the US slacker rock scene. Distorted guitars and Finn O’Brien’s distinctive drawled vocals provide an edge that can’t mask their gift for melody, especially as the song swerves into its searing, grungy denouement. Lyrically it addresses eternal disappointment in a relationship, yet it’s rich with lines that somehow feel effortlessly stylish but enigmatic: “What a place for drama, make a pretty panorama, modern birds and holy bushes, ancient teases, modern pushes.”
Vocalist/guitarist O’Brien says: “We wrote this together in a session in Glasgow just after completing the first album. It’s influenced by Parquet Courts and the Pixies. The title is the name of the road in Jerusalem that Jesus is supposed to have walked down with his cross on his back and a crown of thorns on his head. It’s a remarkably happy song considering all that. It’s surrealist, lyrically, and it’s a lot of fun.”
The song was written by the band: Finn, his brother Elliot O’Brien(drums) and Harry Thomas (keyboards). It was produced by Dan Swift (Snow Patrol, Biffy Clyro).
The broader Make Repetition album exceeds their early potential, with the aforementioned influences joined by echoes of the likes of Blur, Pavement, Elvis Costello and The Jam. Spiky guitars, deceptively big hooks and a balance between melancholy and liberation are the order of the day in a record that will appeal to teenage indie-rock fans through to longstanding genre connoisseurs.
The Jacques recently returned to touring with intimate shows in London and Bristol, with much more to follow as 2025 unfolds. They’re seasoned on countless big stages, including Hyde Park with The Libertines, Transmusicale with Nova Twins, and the Glastonbury, Reading, Leeds and SXSW festivals. Their sold-out debut New York show at The Mercury Lounge was attended by Marky Ramone and Bad Brains co-founder Darryl Jenifer.
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