- Words Darcy Culverhouse
Approaching the drop of their genre-smashing album Make Repetition!, we catch up with Bristol boy’s The Jacques to talk teenage crushes, sonic shapeshifting, and finding liberation through music.
Some bands take years to find their sound. The Jacques took tragedy, chaos, and a van full of stolen gear, and somehow turned it into Make Repetition!, their sophomore album, shimmering with the kind of confidence that makes you sit up in your chair. London-via-Bristol, barely out of their teens, frontman Finn O’Brien, his brother Elliot, and multi-instrumentalist Harry Thomas have spent the last decade hurtling through life like a playlist on shuffle: early festival shows, supporting The Libertines, losing a bandmate, battling addiction, pandemic lockdowns… and yet, somehow, still finding the time to write songs that hit harder than most.
Their new single, ‘Ramona’, is a wink at the ’80s – power-pop synths, disco beats, and Finn’s playful vocals that could charm the pants off a bowling club crowd. Yet beneath the gloss, The Jacques are still biting. They’re a band that has worn grief, loss, and survival like badges, then spun it into music that makes you dance, think, and feel all at once. Take Make Repetition!, it flits from grungy psychedelia to Britpop jams, from scorched guitar riffs to shimmering new-wave grooves, and somehow never feels like it’s trying too hard.
Writing this album was about more than sound. For the trio, it was about reclaiming themselves after setbacks that would have derailed lesser bands. Finn calls music “the only thing that makes me feel like I know what I’m doing,” and it shows. There’s catharsis in every track, a sense that they’re finally making music for themselves, not for anyone else. Even their brushes with punk royalty – John Lydon taking them under his wing after a European tour mishap – becomes a story of mentorship, laughter, and unexpected tears.
With Make Repetition! hitting in September, a run of shows lined up, and new material already taking shape, The Jacques are ready to prove that resilience, inventiveness, and a bit of chaos can make something that’s not just good, it’s unmissable. Catching them before they blow, we sit down with them to talk teenage crushes, sonic shapeshifting, and how to turn heartbreak, loss, and late-night studio sessions into something that makes your head nod and your chest lift at the same time.
Congratulations on the release of ‘Ramona’. It’s an exciting step into ‘80s new-wave pop.
Elliot and I grew up on Blondie, and some of those songs are still my all-time favourites. I wrote ‘Ramona’ about a teenage crush, though we changed the name to keep it ambiguous. The throwback sound came naturally, even if it’s a slight departure from our usual grungier style.
Finn, you’ve said ‘Ramona’ is about projection, desire, and the way we blur fantasy with memory. Can you expand on how that idea fed into the songwriting?
My memories of past crushes are usually sugar-coated. Even if the relationship never blossomed into anything else, I think back fondly on those moments as young love always feels so innocent. But truthfully, like a lot of my lyrics, much of it is made up. I love Toni Morrison’s advice to her students when she was a professor: “don’t write about your little life” I get that, it’s much more fun to invent.
The video is set in a bowls club, where the three of you initially struggle to fit in, but then retreat to the clubhouse. How did that concept come about, and how does it reflect the song’s themes?
Harry came up with most of the concept. It’s a tongue-in-cheek take on a guy so nervous on a date that he ends up messing it up because of it. It ties into the song’s theme of unrequited affection, and the stupor we can get ourselves into when we’ve fallen for someone.
Make Repetition! spans from grungy psychedelia to Britpop jams and shimmering pop. Was it important for you to showcase that range rather than sit in one sound?
Yes, absolutely. It’s honest to who we are, we’ve never aimed to be a band that stick to one style, we just want to write the best songs we can.
The album explores resilience, loss, and catharsis, themes you’ve lived through as a band. Did writing this album feel like a way of processing those experiences?
Honestly, writing this album felt like a personal departure, even if not sonically. We wanted to show we’re creative individuals, not just people defined by past hardships. It felt quite liberating in that sense.
You worked with some heavyweight producers including the likes of Dan Swift, Jules Apollinaire and Gordon Raphael. What did each bring to the table, and how did they shape the album’s sound?
Dan Swift produced most of the record, bringing a refined ear to every part and shaping each song to its core. Gordon recorded ‘White Heat’ and ‘Nobody Else I Know,’ adding his signature raw energy he’s known for. Jules produced the final track, ‘Nothing Amazing’, creating crazy soundscapes and even playing the guitar solo on the track.
You’ve been through some unimaginable challenges as a band, from losing a bandmate, facing addiction and tours collapsing. Did those setbacks change the way you approach making music now?
Not really, though it’s influenced some lyrics. Even when Will was around, we’ve always written like this: one of us brings an idea, and we work it out together. It’s changed us as people, but we’ve always had the same kind of groove when it comes to making music.
Sex Pistol’s John Lydon became something of a mentor during your tour with Public Image Ltd. What did you take away from that relationship, and how did it impact you as a band?
John is just a lovely, welcoming, funny, highly intelligent man who is a pleasure to spend time with. Towards the end of that tour, it felt like we really knew how we wanted to play in a live setting, and what we wanted to do with our performances.
You’ve described music as giving you a sense of belonging and purpose. How does that feeling fuel the band today compared to when you first started out?
It feels more crucial now, like, if I screw this up, I don’t know what else I’d do!
With Make Repetition! landing in September and a huge run of shows ahead, what are you most excited about in this next chapter for The Jacques?
Definitely going out there and bringing what we have to new crowds. There’s no better feeling for me. Of course, we are excited about the new music we’re sitting on as well, but 35+ shows by the end of the year? That’s where we want to be.