NME’s latest stars of The Cover Balu Brigada have created an exclusive playlist to accompany the story’s launch – check it out below.
The Auckland indie-pop duo are on this week’s (August 11) edition of The Cover, a manifestation of NME’s commitment to supporting emerging talent across the globe on a weekly basis. Every week, a rising artist will feature on The Cover – you can read Balu Brigada’s profile here, written by Rishi Shah and featuring photography by Lisa Nguyen.
Balu Brigada have curated an exclusive playlist to accompany their appearance on The Cover, titled ‘Bike Ride BPM’. The brothers have chosen tracks from Confidence Man and Jade, Turnstile, Tame Impala, Getdown Services, and more. Listen to the full playlist on Spotify below and on Apple Music.
Although Balu Brigada have been working on their music for 10 years, it wasn’t until 2024 single ‘So Cold’ exploded following a coveted placement on the EA Sports FC 25 soundtrack that they really scored their breakout moment. Since then, they’ve been enjoying a purple patch of bucket list activities – performing on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, supporting Twenty One Pilots on their world tour, and soon, making their maiden appearance at Reading & Leeds.
The success of ‘So Cold’ has also given Henry and Pierre Beasley something else – conviction to try new things and be bolder and braver in their work. “It grows more confidence – let’s take another risk and see if that pays off,” Pierre reasoned. “I guess one day we’re going to make a 100-minute song with a few lutes and clarinets!”
Elsewhere in The Cover, the brothers discussed their move from New Zealand to New York, how their sibling relationship works in the context of the band, and the influence of The Strokes. “You don’t even realise at the time why you like [those artists],” Henry explained. “We spend more time being like, ‘Oh, is this too Julian [Casablancas]?’ than ‘What would Julian do?’”
Read Balu Brigada’s full Cover story here and find out who else has been on The Cover here.