Echo Lake‘s drummer Peter Hayes has tragically passed away at the age of 25.

Crafting a warm, fuzzy pop sound, married with the sweetest of melodies, Echo Lake had developed their lo-fi sound into a gorgeous body of work.

Sadly, we are reporting this news on the day of their debut album release. In a wonderful tribute to Peter, band member and friend Thom Hill wrote: “I know he was really excited about the album finally coming out and the possibilities that lay ahead of us. I can’t believe that he won’t be around anymore to see them out with us.”

About Peter, Thom wrote “If you knew Pete, then you’ll know what an amazing person he was. If you didn’t know Pete then all I can say is that he was a total one off. Always caring, always giving, always straight up and always with such a positive outlook on life. That was the thing with Pete, he just got on with it. Even in his last few weeks he would be sitting up in his hospital bed smiling and having a laugh with me.”

The editor of The Line of Best Fit and friend of Peter, Rich Thane has set up a Just Giving page in memory of Pete with donations going to The British Heart Foundation. You can donate here.