Pikoe is the electronic R&B project of Rafael Sanchez - initiated following success leading folk acts Hunting Stories and Cowpoke.
Pikoe came into existing in 2016 when Sanchez began writing songs solo material under the moniker. Following a breakup and a series of mental and physical illness, including a melanoma scare, Sanchez started recording with friend and longtime collaborator Patrick Taylor. The first EP, titled Songs To Dance Alone To, was initially released on SoundCloud as a collection of unmixed tracks. However following the overwhelmingly positive reactions to the release Sanchez created a band around the project - pulling in his brother and collaborator Jose, Berklee College of Music alum Ben Marino of drums (known for working with Blood Orange) and Michael Summer on saxophone.
Suydam is the second single to be released from Pikoe's EP, following on from the infectious lead single Fall-N-Out. The track is inspired by a break-up and is named after a street in Bushwick, Brooklyn, where it happened. It is a darker, more resigned track than Fall-N-Out, Sanchez’s vocals pleading “I know, I know the future; rips back, rips back the suture”. The music is wound similarly tight, gradually applying layers of distortion, percussion and bass to create a foreboding sense of dread. When Sanchez delivers the line “I should let you know... I’ve been thinking about love” it almost sounds like a threat. The result of that most terrifying and destructive of emotions that can tear us apart as much as it brings us together.
The official version of Songs To Dance Alone To is set for release on 2 March through CEN/The Orchard. Check out Suydam below or head straight to Spotify or iTunes.