One Liner: Kiwi rockers with a little pop swagger
Poster Position: Second Quarter - Line 9.
Both Weekends.
Saturday at 2:30
T-Mobile Stage
Thoughts: I was pleasantly surprised when this band ended up singing in English. I thought that band name was for sure pointing to this being reggaeton or something. Instead, its a pair of Kiwi multi-instrumentalist brothers who wanted to name the band Baloo, but fearing legal action from Disney, went with Balu Brigada instead. They signed to Warner Music Australia, got to open for Twenty One Pilots, and have been making their way. I am digging it so far.
Their 2019 EP called Almost Feel Good Mixtape is a little more indie pop that their more recent sounds. For example, "Old Love" sounds more like an underdeveloped Harry Styles tune, kind of boy band pop. I like the direction their sound has gone since then. A few more EPs, and then finally a real album with 2025's Portal. Two big tunes on there, the first is "So Cold," with 93.8 million streams.
That's a fun groove. A little Cage/Foster, a little Arctic Monkeys when they used to be good, poppy and catchy but still guitar-forward. Dig it. A little too slick and poppy for my normal rock and roll tastes, but then I just kinda get rolling with it and I'm not mad. "Backseat" is the other big one with 59.9 million streams.
The switch in the midst of that one made me think of Tame Impala. The whole album is pretty solid. I hear more Harry Styles in there (but I listen to so little pop rock that there very well could be a better comparison that I just don't know). I've just let this play for a while and like it.
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