Petit Biscuit – Memories – A Dreamscape of Nostalgia and Minimalist Emotion
Before Sunset Lover catapulted him into global recognition, Petit Biscuit—aka Mehdi Benjelloun—was already quietly building a sonic world that merged ambient electronic textures with classical subtlety. One of the most striking examples of this early vision is “Memories,” a gently mesmerizing track originally released in 2015 on his self-titled debut EP. It’s a piece that doesn’t need words to say something profound.
Clocking in at just under three minutes, “Memories” is deceptively simple. It opens with airy ambient pads and naturalistic field recordings that immediately envelop the listener in a warm, introspective haze. The melody—built on restrained piano motifs and swirling synths—feels like it’s been lifted from a distant dream. Vocal samples flutter in and out of the mix, not to deliver lyrics, but to serve as emotional brushstrokes. They’re memories themselves—fragmented, half-heard, and deeply felt.
What makes “Memories” so affecting is its restraint. Petit Biscuit, only 15 at the time of recording, showcases a remarkably mature understanding of dynamics and space. Rather than stacking layers for the sake of complexity, he creates a soundscape that breathes. Silence and reverb are used as instruments, adding weight to each melodic turn. The result is a track that invites listeners not just to hear, but to feel.
The title is apt—“Memories” captures the sensation of revisiting a moment long passed. There’s a certain wistfulness to the track that makes it feel like flipping through an old photo album in slow motion. You can sense the echoes of youthful summers, quiet walks, and emotional awakenings. It’s music for thinking, remembering, and drifting.
Though “Memories” has remained somewhat under the radar compared to the breakout success of “Sunset Lover” or tracks from his debut album Presence, it remains a cornerstone of Petit Biscuit’s sonic identity. It helped define the aesthetic that would later garner millions of fans: emotive electronica fused with organic instrumentation and ambient spaciousness.
Fans who discovered the track during Petit Biscuit’s early SoundCloud days still regard it as a hidden gem. Online threads praise it as “pure bliss” and “an absolute beauty,” reflecting how deeply it resonated with a community that values music as a space for introspection.
In the grand scheme of Petit Biscuit’s discography, “Memories” is a small, shimmering portal into the artist’s emotional and stylistic DNA. It may not shout, but it certainly speaks—and for those willing to listen, it speaks volumes.