Balu Brigada

A stylish, bright-toned alt-pop act from New Zealand, Balu Brigada is the partnership of multi-instrumentalist brothers Henry and Pierre Beasley. The band got their start self-releasing singles in the late 2010s, then signed a joint major-label deal with Atlantic and Warner Music Australia, which released their first EP, 2022's I Should Be Home. A subsequent move to New York and the viral success of their 2024 single "So Cold" helped the duo find a larger international audience ahead of their debut album, 2025's Portal.

Henry (vocals, guitar) and Pierre Beasley (keyboards) formed Balu Brigada in Auckland in 2016 as a quartet with their brother Charles playing drums and friend Guy Harrison on bass. Initially named Baloo after the Disney character, they later changed their name to Balu Brigada, fearing legal problems. Their earliest tracks were released while the group was still in high school and their sound had a shimmering, catchy pop tone that helped them build a regional following. Within a few years, both Charles Beasley and bassist Harrison departed the group, leaving Henry and Pierre to create the whole of Balu Brigada's sound on their own as multi-instrumentalists. They continued to hone their melodic songwriting and production with singles like 2019's "Medicine" and 2020's "Photographic Memory," building a strong grassroots following that extended beyond New Zealand. In 2022 they signed a dual partnership contract with Atlantic and Warner, leading to the September release of the I Should Be Home EP. A second EP, Find a Way, appeared a year later, yielding a pair of viral tracks in "Designer" and "2Good." By this time the Beasleys had relocated to New York. A compilation of early tracks simply titled Balu contained the hit "So Cold" which topped Billboard's Alternative Airplay chart. This coincided with a 2024 tour supporting American band Twenty One Pilots. Meanwhile, Balu Brigada finished recording their first full-length album, Portal, which was released in 2025. ~ Timothy Monger