From Auckland to NYC, Balu Brigada radiate indie swagger

Gazing out into Manchester’s cavernous AO Arena as they open for Twenty One Pilots, Balu Brigada’s stage presence is effortlessly slick. They look every part the cool, self-assured guitar band, too – be it Pierre Beasley’s white Manchester United x Adidas Originals track top, or his older brother Henry’s scruffy fringe that flops over his eyes as he glides around the stage, guitar in hand.

To close out proceedings, breakout 2024 hit ‘So Cold’ announces itself, treading that sublime tightrope between raw, twangy rock and expressive pop songwriting. As the contagious bassline of its pre-chorus thunders around the 21,000-capacity room, the sibling duo feel far more than just a support act.

Luckily for the pair, Twenty One Pilots fans are notorious for turning up early. “Even just by association, opening for their favourite band, it felt like [they] were already on [our] side,” smiles Pierre, speaking to NME from Berlin three months after the tour. “It was exactly the type of opportunity that we’ve been gunning for [over] the last 10 years,” adds Henry.

Given their purple patch of late, that Balu Brigada have been working towards this for a decade may come as a surprise to newly converted fans. After ‘So Cold’ exploded last year following a coveted placement on the EA Sports FC 24 soundtrack, the Auckland-born duo were invited to perform the track on Jimmy Kimmel Live! this March, in between playing to over 1million people across the globe with Pilots. The bucket-list moments keep racking up, including a maiden visit to Reading & Leeds later this month.

They’ve also drawn some noteworthy comparisons. Ever since Balu Brigada relocated to New York in 2023, penned the crisp guitar riff to ‘So Cold’, and Pierre restyled his shaggy hair, the band have been likened to NYC heavyweights The Strokes. There’s more to them than noughties nostalgia, though. Their recent alt-pop and art-rock sensibilities (‘Designer’, ‘I Should Be Home’) bring them closer to the likes of Djo or Royel Otis, while some more psychedelic escapades (‘Backseat’) could easily win over Tame Impala fans.

The Beasley brothers share vocals, play multiple instruments and self-produce their entire output, allowing their assorted range of tastes to spark glorious indie-pop fusion. This ambition earned them a major label deal with Atlantic/ARRO/Warner in 2022, though one decade ago, things looked very different for the band then named Baloo.

Back then, the band stretched to a four-piece, completed by their oldest brother Charles and drummer Guy Harrison. “It was born out of the eagerness to create,” middle child Henry recalls of the band’s conception. Though things have become much more serious, that childlike eagerness is still their driving force. “You have to remind yourself that you’re still the goofy kid that tried to [pair] this disgusting synth with this terrible drum beat.”

“We operate a lot of the time as bandmates, but it’s when it really counts that you need to switch into ‘brother mode’” – Henry Beasley

Born to a ballet dancer and an actor, the Beasley children were always encouraged to pursue creative paths, a “luxury” that Henry recognises they were lucky to have. Mandatory piano lessons and church (“essentially a gig every Sunday”) set Pierre and Henry on the path towards present-day Balu Brigada, while Charles and Harrison had to step away from the band due to time constraints. The remaining duo had the perfect balance to complement each other’s skill set.

“Holistically, I tend to think bigger-picture, and Pierre’s more detail-oriented,” says Henry, who leans more into the songwriter role than producer-in-chief Pierre – although these parts are not strictly assigned. “I have a tendency to overcook things, and Henry is better at knowing when to step on the brakes,” agrees Pierre.

“We operate a lot of the time as bandmates, but it’s when it really counts that you need to switch into ‘brother mode’,” Henry continues. “It is an exhausting, long slog when you’re trying to pay rent in New York, or trying to do 17 shows in two days. When push comes to shove, and he needs to be my brother and I need to be his, we have that mode to switch into.”

Unlike the infamous Gallagher spat or when Kings Of Leon’s Followills came to blows in the early 2010s, there’s zero sibling tension at the heart of Balu Brigada. “We’re probably closer to Haim!” remarks Henry. “To be frank, I’ve always looked up to [both] my older brothers,” reveals a wholesome Pierre. “I’ve been constantly following in this guy’s footsteps, and it’s the way I’ll probably continue going about life. It’s my destiny.”

The pair’s close-knit bond is evident in their decision to keep things DIY and under one roof – a move they made after shooting a music video on an iPhone. The results turned out better than what they produced when they splashed out the 6,000NZD they’d received from a government grant. “We have quite particular ideas, and only we can execute them,” says Pierre. “If you rely on someone else to do the work for you, that’s the danger zone, sometimes.”

In 2023, The Big Apple came calling to Balu Brigada, who relocated to Manhattan out of necessity and inevitability. “100 per cent of what we did was write music there,” says Henry, referring to work for the band and songs written “for other people so we could pay the bills”. He and Pierre completely immersed themselves in the city’s musical community from the get-go as they navigated the transition together.

“It did always feel like we’d need to essentially follow Lorde and Benee and pop off somewhere else to trickle down to New Zealand,” Henry reflects, pointing to their country’s small population and limited touring circuit. “It wasn’t looking likely that we were going to go upstream, per se, because we’ve never really had a very obvious ‘New Zealand’ sound.”

“It did always feel like we’d need to follow Lorde and Benee and pop off somewhere else to trickle down to New Zealand” – Henry Beasley

When Balu Brigada formed in 2016, Lorde’s unprecedented global breakout was fresh in the memory. Her success story now comfortably crowns her as the biggest artist in the history of New Zealand. “It was impossible for that moment to not be an influence,” acknowledges Henry, who was fascinated by the way her 2013 debut ‘Pure Heroine’ affected music on an international scale.

Balu Brigada’s incoming debut album ‘Portal’ (due out August 29) is the culmination of their graft over the past decade, but also their shift from New Zealand to New York. Written in the rural town of Kaiwaka, the subdued, dreamlike closer ‘Butterfly Boy’ floats in the gorgeous meadows and lakes of their home country, while the impulsive ‘Golden Gate Girl’ and ‘Sideways’ both move with an assertive NYC strut. “The sassy, fast-walking stompers [were written] in New York!” laughs Henry.

Partially succumbing to the musical legacy of their new surroundings is something Balu Brigada embrace – and even romanticise. As for the face-value comparisons to some of the city’s storied heroes, Pierre wholeheartedly admits the subconscious influence of the noughties golden age, acknowledging The Strokes and Julian Casablancas, as well as other acts like Gorillaz.

“[Their 2005 album] ‘Demon Days’ was the sound of our childhood,” he recalls. “You don’t even realise at the time why you like [those artists],” adds Henry. “We spend more time being like, ‘Oh, is this too Julian?’ than ‘What would Julian do?’”

Arguably the most ambitious highlight on ‘Portal’ is ‘Backseat’, an ode to the backseat drivers of the world, delivered through a six-minute piledriver of indie arrogance that descends into trippy electronic mayhem. “‘Backseat’ was written in New York, which is no surprise, because it’s in a rush,” quips Pierre. “You can hear a little slice of Berlin in the pump,” adds Henry, referring to the city that’s become their preferred base between European festivals due to its “relaxed lifestyle”.

“We’ve always been fans of people who do their best to bend genre: Gorillaz, OutKast, Tyler, The Creator or Frank Ocean,” says Henry. “Pierre and I see ‘Backseat’ as our tribute to that, the first time being courageous enough to really give ourselves that chance to do it. It was a big swing for us to try and get that across the line.”

Perhaps much of that confidence comes from their faith in each other, or the co-sign from trailblazers Twenty One Pilots, who themselves continue to rip up the rulebook between pop and rock. Pierre, however, puts some of it down to the success of ‘So Cold’, which topped the Billboard Alternative Airplay chart in March and is currently closing in on 40million Spotify streams.

“It’s punchy and dancey… we wanted to make something that could be chanted at a football stadium,” smiles Henry. “It sounds a lot more monstrous now than it did on the first beachy bounce.” Gratitude bleeds out of Pierre, who implies a song like ‘Backseat’ might not exist without the reception to ‘So Cold’. “It grows more confidence – let’s take another risk and see if that pays off. I guess one day we’re going to make a 100-minute song with a few lutes and clarinets!”

Settled in New York, taking a newfound fancy for Berlin, and with a flying visit to Auckland booked in for Christmas, this balance between globetrotting and stability looks set to shape Balu Brigada’s foreseeable future. As its singles continue to reach new audiences, ‘Portal’ signals the arrival of indie-pop’s most ambitious new act, as they continue to coat those golden noughties sounds with fresh twists.

After a decade of finding their feet, perseverance and steady recognition, Henry and Pierre Beasley are now at liberty to move forward at whatever pace they desire. Right now, they’re taking it all in their stride, because, unlike the city they now call home, they’re in no rush.

Balu Brigada’s debut album Portal is due out August 29 via Atlantic Records/ARRO Records/Warner Australia.

Listen to Balu Brigada’s exclusive playlist to accompany The Cover below on Spotify or on Apple Music here.

Words: Rishi Shah
Photography: Lisa Nguyen
Location: Ramboya Studios
Label: Atlantic Records/ARRO Records/Warner Australia

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