“I would describe my sonic identity as the drawer you have in your kitchen where you throw random knick-knacks.”
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If you were to ask Derby-based indietronica artist kweik to define their sonic identity, you wouldn’t get a pretentious list of subgenres. You’d get a distinctly domestic metaphor: “It’s the drawer you have in your kitchen where you throw random knick-knacks.”
Born in North London but raised in Derby since the age of nine, the art-pop producer has been building beats since they were 13. What started as aimlessly experimenting on FL Studio eventually morphed into highly complex, over-the-top sound design. But at the dawn of 2026, a major shift occurred. Realising they were making music simply to match the chaotic energy of the producers around them, they stripped it all back, stopped caring about outside perception, and adopted the moniker kweik.
“As soon as I stopped caring and made stuff I actually wanted to make, I started making my best music,”
That creative liberation is the driving force behind their upcoming EP, Craftlands. The project is a conceptual deep dive into the escapism of being a young adult yearning for the imaginative safety of childhood. Its influences don't just come from other records; they come from the glow of a PlayStation 2 and the boundless imagination of a kid left to their own devices.
“I remember being five and making a drum kit out of pots and pans in the kitchen,” kweik recalls. “That helped shape the EP, because a lot of the sounds are made out of junk or kitchenware.” If the music had a visual equivalent, they note, it would be a tactile, claymation film directed by John Lasseter—something with the handcrafted charm of Wallace and Gromit or Flushed Away.
This world-building approach is heavily inspired by the iconic video game LittleBigPlanet, alongside a sprawling, eclectic list of musical heroes that includes Tyler, the Creator, JPEGMAFIA, Frank Zappa, and their dream collaborator, Björk. You can hear it in their sonic DNA—a blend of records like All My Heroes Are Cornballs and Medulla, filtered through an entirely unique ear for unconventional rhythms.
“I’m not into the whole posting 15 times a day to get traction. It just doesn’t appeal to me.”
Right now, kweik is carving out their own pocket within a niche, artsy internet scene alongside contemporaries like heavensouls, squib, and stickerbush. In fact, their track “Safeguard”—which features stickerbush on vocals—is a prime example of the infectious, high-octane energy they bring to the table.
But while their sound is chronically online, their approach to promotion couldn't be further from it. Refusing to play the algorithmic game of posting 15 TikToks a day, kweik prefers to let the art speak for itself.
With their debut live show looming on September 19th, the preparation is largely psychological. “I’m naturally confident, but performing is a different ballpark,” they confess. “It’s definitely a lot of monologuing, taking notes, and keeping calm.”
“My current drive is shattering what people assume of me... proving to myself and everyone that I can’t really be put in a box.”
The evolution of kweik is moving fast. With university on the horizon, they already have plans to sink their maintenance loan into new equipment, promising a massive leap in production value. But beyond the gear, the ultimate drive is entirely personal.
“I’m not academic in the slightest, but I know I’m good at what I want to do,” they say. “My current drive is shattering what people assume of me. I’m going to push that energy into the next big project to break those expectations and prove to myself—and everyone—that I can’t really be put in a box.”
But expect something really fun.