The brunettes
| The brunettes | |
|---|---|
 |
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| General information | |
| origin | Auckland , New Zealand |
| Genre (s) | Indie pop , twee pop |
| founding | 1998 |
| Current occupation | |
| Jonathan Bree | |
| Heather Mansfield | |
The Brunettes are a Twee - indie pop duo from Auckland , New Zealand .
history
Founded in 1998, The Brunettes consist of Jonathan Bree and Heather Mansfield, who are alternately supported musically by James Milne, who is also the bandleader of The Reduction Agents , Ryan McPhun from The Ruby Suns and The Reduction Agents, Harry Cundy and Nick Harte from the Shocking pinks . The band released the Mars Loves Venus EP in 1998 , which was made in the garage of Heather's parents. In 2002 Jonathan Bree founded his own label, Lil 'Chief Records . That same year, the duo recorded their debut album Holding Hands, Feeding Ducks in Jonathan's living room . Jonathan Bree then produced and released it on his newly formed label. The Boyracer EP followed just 6 months later . The band released their second album Mars Loves Venus in 2004. In 2005 the When Ice Met Cream EP was released . After the duo toured North America as support act for The Shins in the same year , they signed the well-known Sub Pop label for the US market. In 2007, Structure & Cosmetics was their third studio album, which also received good reviews in Europe. In the same year the group also toured European clubs.
style
On their first albums, the band still cultivated a bubblegum pop in the style of the 60s. The third album, on the other hand, is characterized by a rich instrumentation with guitars, keyboards, wood and brass instruments and percussion as well as choir and alternating chants. The song structures are now more complex, but no less catchy. The lyrics and titles are entertaining and ironic, as illustrated by The Obligatory Road Song , Credit Card Mail Order or Stereo [Mono Mono] .
Trivia
The band has supported Rilo Kiley , The Postal Service , Broken Social Scene , Clap Your Hands Say Yeah , Shout Out Louds and Beirut .
Discography
Albums
- 2002: Holding Hands, Feeding Ducks ( Lil 'Chief Records )
- 2004: Mars Loves Venus (Lil 'Chief Records)
- 2007: Structure & Cosmetics (Lil 'Chief Records)
- 2009: Paper Dolls (Lil 'Chief Records)
Singles and EPs
- 1998: Mars Loves Venus EP
- 2003: The Boyracer EP (Lil 'Chief Records)
- 2005: When Ice Met Cream (Lil 'Chief Records)
- 2009: The Red Rollerskates EP (Lil 'Chief Records)