Brunettes ambition

Kiwi duo swears they’re sincere

INTERVIEW. There’s a fine line between the ridiculous and sublime, the precocious and pretentious, and New Zealand’s The Brunettes walk the razor’s edge, veering just close enough to the wrong side of the cutesy twee-pop border to make us nervous. But most of the creative, choc-a-bloc baroque pop compositions on their latest record, “Structure and Cosmetics,” dart between melancholy and subtle, ironic glee. Metro checked in with guitarist and vocalist Jonathan Bree from the road.

Some of your songs, while seemingly wistful, have a playful humorous element to them, like your song, “If You Were an Alien.” Do you try to balance the sadder elements of your music and lyrics with humor?
Yeah, you are right in your assumptions there. Maybe we’re like the musical equivalent of M*A*S*H where the Korean War meets gags and canned laughter. It’s comes easy in the sense that it just feels natural to add that extra element of humor to the song.

Would you hesitate to call some of what you do irony? Like on “Obligatory Road Song.” Obviously there have been a million road songs, but there’s a reason people write so many of them. Are you wary of clichés like that?
I would definitely hesitate to describe ourselves as ironic. Indie Pop irony is an easy cop out and I personally find bands that embrace that direction quite boring. We are genuinely expressing ourselves, and the odd disclaimer or line that we throw in might show awareness of such clichés but they are not intended to make us come off as insincere.

How does your broad instrumental palate contribute to songwriting? There aren’t many bands using marimbas and glockenspiels lately (although it’s catching on). Do those things color the song or drive the creation of it?
The variation helps drive the creative process as well as color the sound. I think the lack of restrictions we place on ourselves when it comes to instrumentation is key for the songwriting process these days. For us the music is written within the recording process, and through a trial and error process using other instruments outside of your comfort zone of guitar or piano. This I think can really help achieve new melodic ideas which is great for a songwriter.

Is there a band playing now or from history you look at and say “now that’s how we want to do things.”
I’m really impressed with fellow kiwi Russell Crowe or “Russ le Roq” as he was known in the 80’s in New Zealand. That guy wrote pop music and was under appreciated in our homeland as well, and he went on to play a gladiator. So, all you casting directors out there, I’m available for screen tests whenever.

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