What a person needs in 2024, according to An Pierlé: "Less regret. Less fake. Less fear. And the courage to live now." She sings it all with the wisdom of a woman who no longer needs to be a girl. Four years after Wiga Waga, the An Pierlé Quartet (APQ) returns with a second album on the prestigious W.E.R.F. label: Ultimate Survival. Compared to the debut of the APQ, the grooves are deeper and the lyrics more confrontational. This has partly to do with the turn the singer-pianist's life took. The big K disease was overcome, and the realization that it’s better to enjoy the present moment has since become even more urgent. But Pierlé does not allow something dark to dominate the new album: the title doesn't refer to that period; it was a gift from artist Patrick Van Caeckenbergh, who designed the cover. Pierlé: "He drew his inspiration from an old book about animals that care for other species. That’s something we all need today."

Ultimate Survival is an experiential album that takes you on the waves of a narrative. The first single, The Sting, sets the tone—a song about accepting the mistakes we make, even when we know better. The album celebrates the freedom to start fresh, alternately delivered with a raspy warmth and the virtuosic high notes of a seasoned voice. This is not classical jazz, but the work of a bona fide jazz band—with keyboardist Hendrik Lasure and drummer Casper Van de Velde (together Schntzl), the APQ holds the core of The New Wave of Belgian Jazz within its ranks.

The godfather of that jazz wave is producer and reed player Koen Gisen. "Casper and Hendrik are of international class," says Gisen. "What’s beautiful is that they never play the same thing twice, even in the studio." Live, this will be a wonderful derailment, knowing that thanks to those two, it will always land on its feet.