A New Belgian Find: BRNS

My first introduction to BRNS was a couple of days ago through this post from In Between The Tracks. (Sidenote: Some really quality stuff at In Between the Tracks. It’s definitely worth checking out. ) I saw that BRNS is a Belgian band from Wallonië and decided to check them out. I like supporting locals, and while they’re not Antwerpenaars, Belgium is local for me now.

Upon first listen to their track “Our Lights,” I was instantly intrigued by BRNS. I’ll admit am not sure I understand the music video and still find it a bit weird after 6 viewings, but I really like their sound. There is an element to “Our Lights” that reminds me of Jimmy Eat World’s “Goodbye Sky Harbor.” The sounds of the two bands are completely different, but the repetition and layering of the sounds in “Our Lights” immediately brought to mind end of “Goodbye Sky Harbor.”

In their own words, the guys of BRNS write tunes that are “mystical, moody and insatiably catchy.”  After listening to their whole album Wounded on their Bandcamp page several times, I have to agree. Each song has something about that thrills me. The vocals from “Clairvoyant” have this medieval chant quality that lends a bit of human touch to the otherwise rather industrial sounding piece. The verses in “Thru The Graveyard” are sung in such a way that gives it a gleefully sinister, yet also sweetly innocent tone, which I find very cool. The Story of The Bible” has this musical interlude where when I closed my eyes I swear I could see the Creation Story from Genesis.

I am a new fan so I don’t think I can say much more, but I do think that this is a band with a great beginning. And if anything is a testament to a band’s success, it’s their tour dates. Their tour schedule has shows every couple of days throughout the entire year and they’ve played some big venues like Pukkelpop. It’s also worth noting that Wounded was produced by Naïve Records, who also is also home to M83. The signs are there for anyone to read that BRNS is worth your attention. Hopefully in the future, I can write a post about what kind of experience you can expect from them live.

If you’re a fan of music with a full sound and willing to experiment, BRNS is one that you should definitely add to your playlist. Their album Wounded is available at FNAC stories, but you can also buy and download it from Bandcamp or iTunes.

BRNS Official Website

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