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About Us

WHO ARE WE

Penguins Never Jump is a studio duo from the historical city of Dordrecht, The Netherlands. Founded by Jacco and Less, we started creating the signature catchy tunes from the moment we first met somewhere in 2012, eventually resulting in the first official recording ‘On Thin Ice’, released in 2017.

JACCO'S STORY

Jacco was forced by his parents to play classical piano. The rebel he was, he bought an acoustic guitar to piss them off (by the age of 40) and right before he met Less, he was on the road playing theater based, acoustic music. He gets his inspiration for the Penguins from bands like The Cure and The Clash.

Lester van Houwelingen
Jacco Meijer

LESS' STORY

Less, hardcore punk and extreme metal enthusiast from birth, taught himself to play multiple instruments. After being busy recording several loud and fast punk albums, he decided the time was right to take his innovative vision to a much higher level. Surprisingly, he gets his inspiration for the Penguins from bands like Placebo and Primus

MAGICAL CONNECTION

Our connection, and how we melt our completely opposite musical backgrounds into Penguins Never Jump is a big mystery, mostly to us… As a purebred studio band, we can both fully lose our penguin egg and dare to do things we’ve never imagined possible. We are in a continuous state of experimentation, constantly crossing our own musical boundaries, as if it were a natural thing.

FROM BACK THEN

Both raised in a time when music was still bought in physical shops and making music involved a creative process, in which the skill of playing an actual instrument was a requirement, finding similarly tuned guitars and associated owners in today’s society of musical demise, is a nerve-racking process and so depressing that we can not recommend it to anyone.

VERY LUCKY

Therefore, we consider ourselves extremely lucky with the connection we have on all fronts and do not intend to change anything in the formation of the band in the near future. Obviously, this does not diminish our intercontinental ambitions and are always open to developments.

FROM BACK THEN

We’re still not quite sure if the world is ready for such creative and innovative songwriting, but only time will tell. Until then, we invite you to step on thin ice and let the music support you as you visit places you’ve never been before! The Penguins will conquer the world; from the icy lands of the South Pole ’til the melting caps of the North Pole and everything in between! Need more convincing than just our words? Then listen to the music too on your favorite streaming platform!