Auckland duo Balu Brigada are back with their first new music since the release of their debut album, Portal.
The pair – brothers Henry and Pierre Beasley – have today released “BedHead”, a new single that arrives after a whirlwind year that has taken them from sold-out headline shows to major festival stages around the world.
“‘BedHead’ is about trading sleep for a dream,” they said of the song. “It’s being aware of all the hurts and heartaches that inevitably come from pursuing a passion project, and deciding it’s worth doing anyway.
“Written after the busiest year of our lives, ‘BedHead’ bittersweetly details the sacrifices we make to relationships, sleep, and home life, and comes to the conclusion that we wouldn’t have it any other way. I’m g-g-g-good with that.”
The single marks the beginning of a new chapter for Balu Brigada following Portal, which arrived in 2025 and has since amassed more than 328 million global streams. The record was led by breakout track “So Cold”, which reached No. 1 on the Alternative Airplay chart and has clocked up more than 129 million global streams. It also landed on the EA Sports FC 25 soundtrack.
“Their 2025 debut album, Portal, felt like the culmination of their evolution,” we wrote of the album in our Future of Music 2026 list. “Written and entirely produced by the brothers over three years across New York, Berlin, and their hometown of Auckland, the record carries the imprint of each city: heavier, grittier textures from New York, more reflective calm from Auckland, and a restless sense of movement running through it all.”
They told us “a lot of blood sweat and tears were put into it”. Read our full Future of Music interview with Pierre here.
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Their growing international profile has continued throughout 2026. After a sold-out UK and European headline tour and dates supporting Empire of the Sun, the duo recently made their debut appearances at Lollapalooza in Chicago and Outside Lands in San Francisco. They’ll remain on the road over the coming months, with appearances at All Things Go, CRSSD Fest, Austin City Limits and Mexico City’s Corona Capital on the schedule. In October, they’ll also support sombr for arena shows in Seattle and Portland.
Balu Brigada first began turning heads with their 2022 EP, I Should Be Home, before following it with Find a Way in 2023. The latter featured viral track “Designer”, while 2024 saw them join Twenty One Pilots across the North American, UK/European, Latin American and Australia/New Zealand legs of the band’s Clancy world tour.
Balu Brigada’s “BedHead” is out now.
