Brooklyn-based artist Sandy Davis, aka Pecas, has always found a mystifying way of combining lo-fi pop with R&B. While many have married these two bedroom-destined genres, rarely is an artist as scrupulous, sensual, or stand-out with their songwriting and performance. Ahead of the release of her debut album, her latest single, “Talking To Myself,” features one of her most captivating emotional performances to date.

While at a standard three and a half minutes, the amount of sonic variance and detail within this span is quite honestly dumbfounding. There’s clattering percussion that sputters away over the ruminous bassline, synth melodies inspired by peak-era Stevie Wonder, even an ornate harpsichord towards the backend that wonderfully compliments the lustful mood.

Pecas’s songs have always carried her smoky, sensual voice, but here her grasp of intimacy has reached new heights. She lets every word linger off the tongue, letting them land gently on her lips before sending them into the ether. It sends chills down your spine – the kind that comes from someone moving their hand through your hair. Yet the lyrics penetrate deep, leaving the subject of her affection to brood in the truth – “You of all people. I’m looking for the hand I gave you when you had nobody else/But I’m talking to myself and I’m talking to you, do you hear me? Help, baby help me.”

Listen to “Talking To Myself” below. You can purchase the single on her Bandcamp page.

Self-described as ‘gothic nova’, Madrid-born, Brooklyn-based artist Sandy Davis AKA Pecas blends the sounds of smooth 80’s disco synths and futuristic electronic drum loops before topping it all off with a mystifying, sultry voice. After her 2018 debut EP After Dark, and the amazing “T-Shirt” released last year, the artist furthers her lush soundscapes and flexes her honey-smooth vocal chords once again with latest single “Hired Gun”.

Written with the notion of exploring “the nature of love under the strain of capitalism”, “Hired Gun” is surprisingly airy, evoking a dreamlike atmosphere. The simplistic chimes and stripped back trilling synths soothe as Pecas weaves a magic spell upon the listener, captivating with each carefully considered line. Davis‘s piercing head voice has a similar alluring power to that of FKA Twigs. Those soaring high notes have a hypnotic tendency, like a mythical siren calling sailors to sea, luring them into a false sense of security before striking.

Despite its gentle lulling and its soft facade, the track is beautifully layered with sharp edges. Underneath the main body of the track, there are some clips that sound like old TV footage, lost tapes that have since been discovered and added as a grainy texture. All these details make “Hired Gun” such a visceral listening experience. There are small asides to be found embedded in the track like the presence of a saxophone played solemnly for only a beat or two before disappearing into the world of the track.

The combined effect of these sonic movements is a feeling of timelessness; Pecas has created a track that exists in its own place outside of space and time. By juxtaposing the airy wind chime-like tones, the naturalistic drums that call to mind a pulsating heartbeat and the 80’s sounding synths, “Hired Gun” acts as a tale for everyone, everywhere at all times.

The track is released with its shorter companion, “A Hired Gun is Nothing More,” which comes with a 3D video, courtesy of Andrew Strasser.

This track is now added to our playlist Best Tracks of 2020.

One month ago, we introduced you to Harrison Lipton, a Brooklyn-based vocalist, songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist who was singing that he was not particularly “good at goodbyes“. In his new track, “With U”, the artist delves deeper into this theme, as he experiences a difficult relationship and sounds lost in his feelings. Here, Brooklyn-via-Madrid artist Pecas, who has already delivered so many good tracks this year, plays the role of the refractory girlfriend. Both locked in their own bedrooms, the pair are facing their own contradictions while dancing alone on this disco-tinged late-night jam à la “Je T’Aime, Moi Non Plus”. Harisson, it’s time to make a decision, do you want to be with Pecas or do you really want to take a break? Pecas, please give Harisson his T-Shirt back and stop acting like a child!

Before your well-deserved holiday break, we come up with a playlist loaded with good music only. We are aware that it’s not always easy to keep up with all the daily releases and posts. Therefore our team made everything easier just for you. Enjoy our 50 favourite songs of 2019 so far and don’t forget to follow our Spotify playlist to check future additions.

1 GEORGIA – “About Work The Dancefloor”

2 BIG THIEF – “UFOF”

3 ARLO PARKS – “Super Sad Generation”

4 CRUMB – “Part III”

5 REQUIN CHAGRIN – “Sémaphore”

6 YOT CLUB – “No Way !”

7 CARLY RAE JEPSEN – “Julien”

8 070 SHAKE – “Morrow”

9 MEN I TRUST – “Numb”

10 TEEN BODY – “Validation”

11 HAND HABITS – Can’t Calm Down”

12 MARIA SOMERVILLE – “Brighter Days”

13 ERIKA DE CASIER – “Do My Thing”

14 SHARON VAN ETTEN – “Seventeen”

15 BEAUTY QUEEN – “The Only One”

16 MORABEZA TOBACCO – “Ally McBeal”

17 GRACE IVES – “Mirror”

18 BARRIE – “Darjeeling”

19 KEVIN ABSTRACT – “Georgia”

20 ALDOUS HARDING – “The Barrel”

21 EMILY REO – “Ghosting”

22 BOY HARSHER – “LA”

23 AUGUSTINE – “A Scent Of Lily”

24 PURE BATHING CULTURE – “All Night”

25 ΣTELLA – “Samba”

26 CELESTE – “Father’s Son”

27 CHARLOTTE ADIGERY – “High Lights”

28 LALA LALA, WHY? – “Siren 042”

29 PRONOUN – “Stay”

30 STAINWASHER – “Joy For Me”

31 LANA DEL REY – “hope is a dangerous thing for a woman like me to have…”

32 JACKIE MENDOZA – “Mucho Más”

33 BASEBALL GREGG, PECAS, WILLIAM CORDUROY – “The Movies”

34 BEA1991 – “My Own Heaven”

35 GRACIE GRAY – “Morphine”

36 ROSALÍA, J BALVIN – “Con Altura”

37 WEYES BLOOD – “Movies”

38 HATCHIE – “Without A Blush”

39 PECAS – “T-Shirt”

40 FKA TWIGS – “Cellophane”

41 OMAR APPOLO – “Ashamed”

42 MAKTHAVERSKAN – “Demands”

43 SANDY (ALEX G) – “Gretel”

44 CLAUD – “Easy”

45 JAI PAUL – “He”

46 JAPAN, MAN – “Stop Staring”

47 THE DAWDLER – “Sylvie”

48 ARIEL – “Dream Team”

49 EUGENIA POST MERIDIEM – “Blue Noon”

50 0171 – “1000 Words”

Consisting of Luca Lovisetto and Samuel Regan, Baseball Gregg is a transcontinental indie pop duo from Stockton by way of Italy. In 2019, they are releasing a song every month as part of their project Calendar. For the April episode, the duo connected with Brooklyn-via-Madrid singer-songwriter Pecas (who already released “T-Shirt“, one of our favorite tracks of 2019) and guitarist William Corduroy.

According to the press release, the song was written by Samuel as a present for Luca and was inspired by an evening at the theater La Lumière in Italy; an evening that actually marked the beginning of their bromance and musical collaboration.

This pleasant nostalgia definitely emanates from “The Movies”, a dreamy song that deals with meeting someone who turns to have a decisive importance in your life. “When we first met out in the streets, That’s when my life first felt complete,” beautifully sings Pecas with her silky voice. In the last part, the guitar play of William Corduroy is also a real delight. It’s a smoothly groovy track to celebrate THE day you met your lover or best friend. Listen below.

Ray Newlan, Noah Salem – Dreaming – 00:00

Maria Somerville – All My People – 03:18

Dwen – Tr Pp N – 09:05

Kip Nelson – Laced Up – 12:50

Deep Sea Peach Tree – Xanzibar – 15:27

Arlo Parks – Super Sad Generation – 17:45

Bathe – Kimmi – 20:26

Virgin Pool – The Wanderer – 24:45

Hand Habits – Can’t Calm Down – 28:14

Mini Dresses – Rank and File – 31:36

Melby – VCR – 34:05

Jessica Pratt – Aeroplane – 37:53

Jackie Mendoza – De Lejos – 41:13

UTO – Synthetise – 43:47

Konradsen – Baby Hallelujah – 47:08

Pecas – Tshirt – 49:58

0171 – 1000 Words – 53:02

Emmett Kai – Taste The Sunset – 57:00

Pecas is the moniker of Brooklyn-via-Madrid artist Sandy Davis. Earlier this week, she dropped a lo-fi and sensual R&B song, “T-Shirt”, which explores obsessive love. Indeed, the dreamy and retro track was written after she stole an ex’s t-shirt and turned it into a fetish trophy. In the accompanying Joshua Thomas-directed visuals, Pecas acts as a tender psychopath laying in a silky bed and playing with fruit pulp in a suggestive manner reminescent of Stephanie Sarley‘s art.

About “T-Shirt”, the artist detailed on Gorilla Vs Bear where it was premiered:

[su_quote]I stole my ex’s t-shirt after we broke up and slept in it for really long time. At a certain point I realized that it was slightly creepy and also comical. The song was an admission to myself of just that. The video didn’t come to fruition until a year or so after I had written the song, at that point I was far enough removed from any sentimental attachments to it and was able to explore more of the comedic aspects. I drew a lot of inspiration from Connan Mockasin’s “I’m the Man That Will Find You” and started to play around with the idea of being the female counterpart to that. I wanted to own being a creepy/sensual R&B crooner and hoped with the video to blur the lines of gender, identity, and sensuality. The song was later revised to include low pitch-shifted vocals to reinforce this idea in the video. And in the very end of the editing process we added a warp on my face for a few shots, primarily because I really got a kick out of it – the idea of breaking and recreating my perception of myself and how others perceive me.[/su_quote]

[su_youtube_advanced url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iG2VQaNyUIY”]

Pecas will also be touring this March in the US. Check her itinerary below:

3/2 Los Angeles, CA – The Factory

3/3 Phoenix, AZ – The Lunchbox

3/4 Tuscon, AZ – Hotel Congress

3/5 El Paso, TX – The Love Buzz

3/7 Marfa, TX – Lost Horse Saloon

3/9 San Juan, TX – Cryptohaus

3/10 San Antonio, TX – Low Country

3/11-3/17 Austin, TX – SXSW

3/18 New Orleans – House Widdershins

3/19 Mobile, AL – Blind Mule

3/20 Savannah, GA – El Rock Lounge

3/21 Atlanta, GA – 529

3/22 Athens, GA – Georgia Theater

3/23 Charlotte, NC – Snugs Harbor

3/24 Baltimore, MD – The Aquarium

3/25 Asbury Park, NJ – The Saint

3/26 Jersey City, NY – FM