The Jacques Unleash New-Wave Chaos With New Single ‘Ramona’

The Jacques are powering towards the September 5th release of their second album ‘Make Repetition!’ in style, having recently toured extensively with Public Image Ltd (during which John Lydon became an almost father-figure after their van and equipment was stolen).

Now the London-via-Bristol trio offer a glittering new taste of the upcoming record as they share the shimmering new single ‘Ramona’ alongside its official video.

Today also brings the announcement that they will support The Sherlocks on their tour later this year, for which tickets go on general sale at 10.00 am BST Friday, 22^nd August. They will also play dates with Alabama 3, The Twang and Grandma’s House. For the full list of live dates, visit here.

A bold stylistic swerve that trades guitars for synth and a sharp left turn from the band’s scruffier beginnings, ‘Ramona’ sees The Jacques embrace the gloss and groove of Blondie, Talking Heads and ‘80s new-wave pop, without losing the bite that made them cult favourites on the UK indie circuit. Power-pop synth lines, taut disco beats, and frontman Finn O’Brien’s playful vocal delivery collide in a track that feels tailor-made for late night dancefloors.

It confirms what longtime fans have always suspected: The Jacques are far more than another indie band. With one foot in their art school past and the other striding towards a bold pop future, they’re poised to surprise in all the best ways.

Finn says, “‘Ramona’ is about projection, desire, and the way we blur fantasy with memory.”

The accompanying visual plays on the concept that ‘Ramona’ is a song for anyone who’s ever felt like a small fish in a big sea. Set in the sedate environment of Maidenhead Thicket Bowls Club, the trio just don’t fit in: Finn is in the middle of an ill-fated lunch date, while bandmates Elliot O’Brien and Harry Thomas’s over-competitive game of bowls spills over into a fight. It’s only when they retreat to the clubhouse that they all feel comfortable being themselves.

‘Ramona’ sets a daring tone for ‘Make Repetition!’, a record that signals both reinvention and refinement. If earlier releases ‘Via Dolorosa’, ‘Dead Man’s Garden’ and ‘All The Other Sinners’ leaned into post-punk urgency, ‘Ramona’ is pure propulsion, a snapshot of a band willing to shapeshift, evolve, and colour outside the lines. Collectively, the record travels the spectrum of scorched but sky-reaching indie of Blur, Modern Lovers, Parquet Courts and Velvet Underground. It features production from Dan Swift (Snow Patrol, Biffy Clyro), Jules Apollinaire (Suki Waterhouse, Declan McKenna) and Gordon Raphael (The Strokes, Hinds).

For a band so young in their years, The Jacques have been through more than most: meeting their heroes, the death of their band mate and best friend Will Hicks, recovery from crippling addiction, a dream tour torpedoed, then returning with their strongest work to date. The story of The Jacques is one of resilience and togetherness. You can hear that defiance in the face of adversity throughout ‘Make Repetition!’ – with songs of loss, survival, self-destruction, self-improvement, catharsis and sticking together.

In other news, The Jacques’ track ‘Weekends’ features in the new British comedy ‘Breaking Free’. The film is the directorial debut of Patrick Makin and stars Alexander Perkins (‘The Office’) and Edyta Budnik (Jade in ‘Ted Lasso’).

The Jacques are now set to play the following shows:

SEPTEMBER

9th – London, The 100 Club (with The Twang)

11th – London, Omeara (International Festival Forum showcase – invite only)

17th – Hamburg, Reeperbahn (Motion showcase)

19th – Hamburg, Reeperbahn (SESAC showcase)

OCTOBER

1st – UK, St Albans, The Horn (with Grandmas House)

2nd – Paris, Supersonic Club

5th – Exeter, Cavern (with Grandmas House)

NOVEMBER

1st – Wolverhampton, Wulfrun Hall (with The Sherlocks)

2nd – Chester, Live Rooms (with The Sherlocks)

6th – Stoke, The Sugarmill (with The Sherlocks)

7th – Norwich, Epic Studios (with The Sherlocks)

8th – Dover, Booking Hall (with The Sherlocks)

12th – Liverpool, Arts Club Theatre (with The Sherlocks)

13th – Holmfirth, Picturedrome (with The Sherlocks)

14th — Leeds, Warehouse (with The Sherlocks)

15th – Preston, 53 Degrees (with The Sherlocks)

19th – Carlisle, Fire Station (with The Sherlocks)

26th – London, O2 Academy Islington (with The Sherlocks)

27th – Brighton, Quarters (with The Sherlocks)

28th – Isle of Wight, Strings (with The Sherlocks)

29th – Wells, Studio 24 (with The Sherlocks)

DECEMBER

3rd – Guildford, Boileroom (with The Sherlocks)

4th – Glasgow, SWG 3 (with Alabama 3)

5th – Manchester, The Ritz 02 (with Alabama 3)

10th – Hertford, Corn Exchange (with The Sherlocks)

11th – Derby, The Hairy Dog (with The Sherlocks)

12th – Portsmouth, Wedgewood Rooms (with The Sherlocks)

13th – Northampton, Roadmenders (with The Sherlocks)

17th – Grimsby, Docks Academy (with The Sherlocks)

18th – Lincoln, The Drill (with The Sherlocks)

19th – North Shields King Street Social Club (with The Sherlocks)

20th – Hull, Welly (with The Sherlocks)