The Brunettes

[August 29th, 2007]

[BREEZY INDIE-POP] If there’s one strikingly obvious thing New Zealand’s Brunettes have going for ’em, it’s looks. But the cuteness doesn’t stop at the surface: Heather Mansfield and Jonathan Bree’s subtley complex indie-pop sound is just as adorable as its makers, if not a little goofy.

And on the band’s first Sub Pop release, Structure&Cosmetics (which comes out the day before the band’s MFNW appearance), it presents a fittingly matured face. From the lilting, melancholy “Small Town Crew” to the irregular percussion and piano appeal of “Her Hairagami Set,” these dark-locked wonders—who perform and record with a rotating case of collaborators—have hidden all sorts of sonic curiosities (from tenor sax and wavering guitars to brightly clinking glock) among their sugary melodies and angelic vocals.

Longtime fans may find the album’s more experimental tracks a tad weird (blame ’05 tour mates the Shins, if you must), but it’ll matter little once the Brunettes take the stage: Switching from instrument to instrument like a friendlier Broken Social Scene from another corner of the world, the Brunettes do their damnedest to make every performance sonically and visually stimulating. Pretty thoughtful, considering they’re so darn cute to begin with.