Written by Fense

For some reason, I missed Structure & Cosmetics by The Brunettes last year. Not only is the album on Sub Pop, it’s indie-pop! This male/female duo crafts beautifully melodic tunes that, at times, are surprising coming from a band on this label.

Several tunes are also heavily orchestrated, like “Stereo (Mono Mono)”. Others include dual harmony vocals, like opener “Brunettes Against Bubblegum Youth”, in which the two consistently spell out and sing BABY; in fact, most tunes feature both Heather Mansfield and Jonathan Bree on vocals. Sometimes they’re together, sometimes they trade off on the lead.

I didn’t pick up Structure & Cosmetics until quite recently, but my a friend did recommend the band to me late last year after CMJ–knowing my taste in music and my love for poppy bands, they figured I’d dig these two. And boy do I!

The Brunettes: Small Town Crew [mp3]

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