Brijean: KCRW Live from HQ

Over their six years making music together, Oakland-bred, LA-based electro-jazz-pop duo Brijean have become well-versed in how the minutiae of life and art fit into the bigger picture. Their new LP Macro, then, is a fitting encapsulation of their sound and style — a carefully constructed affair in which each song flows serenely to the next, as frontwoman and percussionist Brijean Murphy muses about taking walks, throwing spontaneous solo dance parties, spending less money, and getting lost more often. It’s a totally chill rebuke of late capitalism that can play on repeat as you wile away overheated summer days doing nothing. 

Born into a musical LA family, Murphy learned her percussion skills early on from her father Patrick Murphy, a Glassell Park-based percussionist and engineer. Her first set of congas were a gift from Trinidadian steel drum legend (and Neil Diamond bandmate) Vince Charles. As Murphy grew and continued to sharpen her skills, she became integral to the touring line-ups of Toro y Moi, Mitski, and Poolside (among others). 

Stuart, meanwhile, came up admiring the heady indie rock, post-rock, and jazz spaces of his native Chicago, ultimately falling in love with the bass while in his high school jazz band, and picking up keys and a number of other instruments along the way. Stuart’s CV boasts collaborations with Bells Atlas, Meernaa, and Luke Temple (to name a few), as well as composing gigs for the NPR podcasts Snap Judgment and Spooked. 

The pair stopped by KCRW to dole out some seriously intricate sounds and swagger on the heels of Macro. Album highlights like “Bang Bang Boom,” “Roller Coaster,” and “Workin’ On It” are all in the mix, alongside back catalog favorite, “Angelo.” They also open up about the band’s origins, the “complexity and nuance” present throughout Macro, and what to do when encountering an LA bear during an early morning walk on your residential street. 

You can also watch Brijean work their sonic magic live in person at Highland Park’s Lodge Room on Thursday, Aug. 1, cause we’re giving away five pairs of tickets. Enter here to get yourself in the running and best of luck. 

More: Ticket giveaway: Brijean @ Lodge Room, Thursday Aug. 1