Interview: Balu Brigada interview each other about their new song 'nice to have someone to miss'.

New Zealand duo Balu Brigada have shared a new song, 'it's nice to have someone to miss', a groovy yet sentimental song which they describe as "acknowledging that it’s a luxury to have something that meant enough to you that you miss it when it’s gone."

The new song comes lifted from their upcoming EP, 'Funk Boiz', and follows their release 'Medicine' from last year. To celebrate the new song, we asked the brothers Henry and Pierre Beasley to interview one another about the new song, how they've been spending lockdown, and more...

PIERRE BEASLEY: Why is it Nice To Have Someone To Miss?
HENRY BEASLEY: That idea came from something my girlfriend said to me last year when I moved back from to New Zealand from New York and she stayed. I think after we had been complaining to each other for so long about how hard it was to make a relationship work long-distance, and she pointed out that we were lucky to have someone so significant enough in our lives that it seems difficult to be apart from them. I guess that idea stuck with me, and it’s an attitude that can be appreciated in a bunch of different contexts. A real half-glass-full type feeling that focuses on privilege instead of dwelling on hardship.

HENRY: So, when I passed this song over to you, you spent a lot of man-hours trying to make it into what it became. How many times do you lose your mind trying to re-produce the awful demos I send you?
PIERRE: Roughly six, I’d say. It’s usually fine, so long as there are not a thousand ideas in one song… There almost always is, but thankfully this one was nice and low-key when you handed it over.

PIERRE: When you talk about the character 'Sleepy' in the song, what is that in reference to?
HENRY: My girlfriend is sleepy as hell. She’s a hard worker but has been known to fall asleep at her desk if she hasn’t administered the correct amount of caffeine. When I was writing the song in my room, I guess I was imagining her being there, tucked in bed with sleepy eyes and a half cup of coffee.
PIERRE: Well aren’t you cute. How many coffees do you reckon you’ve averaged a day since lockdown began?
HENRY: Mate, an easy three per day. If you rotate between plunger, instant, and espresso coffee like I’ve been doing, it feels like have more of a caffeine allowance.

HENRY: What are you missing the most during lockdown?
PIERRE: Probably just being able to get together with friends and see some live music. Although I’ve loved seeing the amount of live-stream performances from local artists, bad internet-connection is a thing at our house. A loading circle isn’t something you have to see in front of your favourite artist at Whammy Bar, fortunately.
HENRY: Yeah, I think a lot of us have been a bit nervous that those venues aren’t going to survive the pandemic, so it’s encouraging to see all the fundraisers for them going up. VERY glad to see Whammy has had some good support. If you weren’t a musician, what do you think you’d be doing?
PIERRE: Maybe acting? Painting could be kind of fun. Never done it, just thought of it now.

HENRY: What do you reckon is the most cringe line you’ve had to deliver as an actor?
PIERRE: Hmmm, I had a 'Power Rangers' role a couple of years back and that show is catered to an all American four to eleven-year-old audience. I think my most notable line was, “Hey Levi, can I grab a quick selfie with you on your famous burger-camera?” I don’t know what a burger-camera is, but it sure is tough to pronounce in an American accent with all the hard ‘R’s’. That’s probably still not as bad as watching you say “can you sling me a brew?” on TV though…
HENRY: Yeah that wasn’t my favourite dialogue to have to read. Yikes.  

PIERRE: I know you’ve been passing the time with a bunch of video games at the moment. What’s the most nostalgic game of your childhood?
HENRY: Easily 'Super Smash Bros'. I played the 1999 version so much I had to recently hold myself back from destroying our little cousin on the new version because my muscle memory had held true and I was instantly incredible at it.

PIERRE: What do you wish you could tell your younger self?
HENRY: I think I would have taken a leaf out of Elon[Musk]’s book and told myself, “Don’t doubt your vibe.” It’s such a cliché mantra but really dope if you think about it from someone like Elon who’s not necessarily thought of as a creative. Being gutsy enough to trust your ideas without getting distracted and caught up in everyone else’s ‘vibe’ seems like it’s the key to producing something special.

HENRY: Speaking of us as young’uns. What is the worst memory you have of me?
PIERRE: Probably all the times you’ve slapped my face to wake me up.
HENRY: You’re a heavy sleeper though. And when it’s 4am, the Uber driver is always thankful that I do.

Watch the 'nice to have someone to miss' music video below...