The Brunettes

  • New Zealand
    hometown
  • Alternative
    genre
  • 1998
    started
  • Bio
    full story
  • Share
  • Similar
Close

About The Brunettes


Breezy New Zealand indie pop group the Brunettes feature the core duo of multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, and producer Jonathan Bree and multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Heather Mansfield, along with as many as eight auxiliary members who help create the group's Phil Spector-esque wall of sound. The band's rotating membership includes Lil' Chief labelmates Harry Cundy and the Reduction Agents' James Milne and Ryan McPhun, and the Lil' Chief Orchestrette add banjo, marimba, saxophone, cello, and clarinet to the band's sonic palette.

In 1998, Bree and Mansfield were playing in different bands and met when they played a show together; the Brunettes were born when the pair decided they'd like to collaborate on sweet but smart pop inspired by '60s girl groups and '70s punk. Later that year, the Brunettes' debut EP, Mars Loves Venus, arrived. Though the band's first release arrived relatively quickly, it took another four years for the band's first full-length, Holding Hands, Feeding Ducks, to appear on Lil' Chief Records. The charm of this album and the Boyracer EP, also released in 2002, won the Brunettes a devoted following in their homeland. The group spent 2003 and 2004 touring Australia and the U.K., supporting other pop-minded bands such as Architecture in Helsinki and the Futureheads. Summer 2004 saw the release of their second album, which was also named Mars Loves Venus (the EP and the album only have the title track in common), and reflected the Brunettes' increasing skill in the studio and influences from Gram Parsons to Prince.

The band made it to the U.S. as a septet in 2005 as support for the Shins, and released the When Ice Met Cream EP to commemorate the occasion. That fall, they signed to Sub Pop and then toured as a five-piece with Rilo Kiley. The group's most sophisticated album yet, 2007's Structure and Cosmetics became the first Brunettes album to be released domestically in the U.S. The Brunettes handled the distribution of 2009's Paper Dolls on their own, releasing it in the U.S. and New Zealand on Lil' Chief. ~ Heather Phares, Rovi

Scroll up Scroll down

Music

From position 0, showing 1 items, asking 10
See All
  • B.A.B.Y.
    the-brunettes
    Video
    B.A.B.Y.
  • 15748413
    SoundStream
    SoundStream
    song name
    0:00
    Audio powered by
    All the music you want, just 10 bucks a month. Try it free.
    • Stereo (Mono Mono)
      http://listen.vo.llnwd.net/g2/7/2/2/5/3/908835227.mp3
    • Wall Poster Star
      http://listen.vo.llnwd.net/g2/2/5/1/5/3/908835152.mp3
    • Credit Card Mail Order
      http://listen.vo.llnwd.net/g2/1/5/1/5/3/908835151.mp3
    • If You Were Alien
      http://listen.vo.llnwd.net/g2/1/7/0/5/3/908835071.mp3
    • Brunettes Against Bubblegum Youth
      http://listen.vo.llnwd.net/g2/0/9/0/5/3/908835090.mp3
    • Small Town Crew
      http://listen.vo.llnwd.net/g2/7/7/0/5/3/908835077.mp3

Photos

From position 0, showing 1 items, asking 10
See All
  • The Brunettes

News

From position 0, showing 2 items, asking 10
See All
  • The Brunettes
    The Breeders are Still Goofy and Charming, 20 Years Later
    MTV Hive
    May 16, 2013
    Each week, Lizzy Goodman guides you through the dirty streets of rock and roll. I remember the first time I saw the video for the Breeders “Cann...
    Read More
  • The Brunettes
    News in Brief: Yellow Bird Project, Citay, the Brunettes, Juliana Hatfield
    www.pitchfork.com
    Get Together on January 25 in the UK and January 26 in North America. The Fucking Champs' Tim Green produces, and tUnE-yArDs' Merrill Garbus guests. H...
    Read More

Discography

From position 0, showing 5 items, asking 10
See All
  • Paper Dolls (2010)
    The Brunettes
    Paper Dolls (2010)
    Lil' Chief
  • Structure and Cosmetics (2007)
    The Brunettes
    Structure and Cosmetics (2007)
    Sub Pop
  • When Ice Met Cream EP (2006)
    The Brunettes
    When Ice Met Cream EP (2006)
    Lil' Chief
  • Mars Loves Venus (2004)
    The Brunettes
    Mars Loves Venus (2004)
    Reverberation Oz
  • Holding Hands, Feeding Ducks (2002)
    The Brunettes
    Holding Hands, Feeding Ducks (2002)
    Lil' Chief
Are You The Brunettes? Claim this page | Learn more about Artists.MTV | FAQ for Artists
The Brunettes Bio | The Brunettes Music | The Brunettes Discography |
MTV | MTV Jobs | Privacy Policy | User Content Agreement | Copyright | Artist Index | Social Projects Agreements | Ad Choices |
Portions of this page powered by
This site contains content from artists, fans, and writers from around the internet in it's natural form. Such content is not representative of Viacom Media Networks.

©2012 Viacom International Inc. All Rights Reserved. MTV and all related titles and logos are trademarks of Viacom International Inc.

  • Explore
    • Popular
    • Emerging
    • Genres
      • Rock
      • Hip Hop
      • Indie
      • Electronic/EDM
      • Country
      • Pop
    • Collections
    • Artist To Watch
  • Search
  • Are you an artist?
    • Claim Your Page
    • Learn More
    • FAQ
    • Opportunities