Balu Brigada

“The record dives into deep examinations of doubt, recklessness, and loss in an effort to map out
previously uncharted territory and emerge with a fuller sense of self on the other side,” shares the band.
“By traversing a bold range of sounds and warping the boundaries of genre, Portal balances ethereal
soundscapes with hard-hitting stompers to create a rich sonic environment for the listener to pass
through. Our love for the swirly, warping echoes of psych music made a lot of the album sound like a
portal to another dimension. Thematically, this is the Portal from our past lives to where we’re at now.”
Henry and Pierre took quite the trip to get here. Over the course of three years, the guys notably created
songs around the world, working back home in New Zealand as well as in New York, Berlin, Los Angeles,
and beyond. Each location left its imprint on the music, yielding “heavier and grungier energy” for the
NYC recordings and “a softer and calmer” vibe for the NZ material.
Living out of suitcases between sessions and tours, the pair wholly devoted themselves to pushing the
envelope musically and delivering a debut album worthy enough to stand the test of time. As such, the
creation of Portal was far from pretty, yet it was honest and cathartic soaked in blood, sweat, and tears.
Rather than rely on outside collaborators, Henry and Pierre continued to write, produce, and record
every note themselves. By challenging one another, they bottled the tension, vulnerability, and
understanding between them into the music.
So, the record often plays out like a deep discussion among two brothers, best friends, and bandmates
all at once.
“There was a deeper examination of self and an increased level of honesty with each other,” the band
reveals. “Scars of a love lost, fresh wounds inflicted by industry, and revelations of self-doubt have all
been conversations we’ve had with each other and subsequently funneled into Portal.”
By working so candidly with one another, the brothers confidently break boundaries, delivering an aural
odyssey that teeters on an axis of otherworldly escapism and personal experience. Its melodies may
resound to the heavens, yet its emotion is irrefutably grounded and utterly relatable.
They set the stage for Portal with the breakout single “So Cold.” It not only gathered 34 million total
streams and counting, but it also notched their very first #1 at radio in the US, claiming the top spot at
Alternative. They made their late-night television debut on ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel LIVE! with a stunning
performance of the song. Plus, it claimed a coveted spot on the FIFA 2025 Official Soundtrack, and
SiriusXM spotlighted it as a “Critical Cut.”
The pair really opened up the world of Portal with the epic single “Backseat.” Stretching across the
six-minute mark, it struts to the center of the dancefloor as a disco-fied future-rock anthem. The track’s
slick bassline thumps above a snappy beat and JUNO synth line, giving full body to the groove. Distinct
claps hit in time with down-picked electric guitar, and the vocals swoon on a sarcastic and scornful
bridge, “Stay with me, I don’t even like your company, I just wanted you to comfort me while I keep my
eyes on the road.” It peaks on a catchy chorus, “I think I’m done with all the speeches from the bleachers,
don’t wanna hear it no more from the backseat.”
Elsewhere, tremolo-picked guitar awash in reverb echoes through samples of unsettlingly weird laughter
on “Golden Gate Girl.” The vocals set the scene, “I took a trip across the Bay…You said I could come out
to see you.” It culminates with a shimmering and sun-kissed California hook, “You Golden Gate Girl.”
Soft vocals swoon over dreamy guitar and a glitchy beat on “Isolation.” Icy delivery chills during a
proclamation, “It’s a cold I can’t explain.”
Then, there’s “What Do We Ever Really Know?” A robotic chant gives way to a fluid guitar lead and
existential ponderance, “What do we ever really know?” Portal concludes as its finale “Butterfly Boy”
flutters into focus. The bass warbles beneath breathy vocals, dissolving into yacht rock-style keys and
nostalgic lyrics a la, “Remember the time we sat on the beach.”
They’ve certainly come a long way. Since high school, they independently honed their chops for years
until landing a deal with Warner Music Australia, Atlantic Music Group and ARRO Records in the United
States. The group cultivated their signature sound with the I Should Be Home EP [2022] and Find A Way
EP [2023]—highlighted by the fan favorite “Designer” which amassed 26 million Spotify streams and
counting. Along the way, they also incited the applause of everyone from Coup de Main and
OnesToWatch to People who christened them “Best New Artist.” Twenty One Pilots even notably
selected Balu Brigada as special guests on their massive The Clancy World Tour across North America,
Latin America, Australia, New Zealand, Europe, and the UK.
With their biggest headline tour to date on the horizon and more surprises in store, Balu Brigada come
out on the other side of Portal with a bold, bright, and brilliant body of work.
“A debut album means a realization of what Balu Brigada is and what it wants to be,” the band leaves off.
“We’ve always experimented with blurring the boundaries of genre and sonics, but Portal has been the
first concise realization of what the boundaries of that world are. Finding this balance and coupling it
with our most honest and vulnerable writing has allowed us to create the first fully matured glimpse of
Balu Brigada as a project.”