New Zealand’s Balu Brigada took on the triple j Like a Version studio on Friday morning, covering Hall & Oates’ “You Make My Dreams (Come True)”.
For their Like a Version debut, the alt-pop brothers – Henry and Pierre Beasley – took the song to a new level, shifting it away from its happy-go-lucky ’80s vibe into a brooding track of yearning.
“Pierre came up with the idea to play this cover and it was kind of a shocking suggestion to begin with because I was like ‘can we pull this song off in all its glorious 80s cheese?’,” Henry Beasley said. “It was a fun one to reimagine and try and make something entirely different.”
Watch it below.
Balu Brigada will kick off their Australian tour in May, in support of their acclaimed debut album Portal. Released last August, the album finds the duo pushing their boundaries and cementing their place as one of the most vital new voices in alternative pop.
It includes breakout singles “So Cold,” Backseat,” and the existential pop anthem “What Do We Ever Really Know?” – each one offering a glimpse into the band’s evolving sound and introspective lyricism. During their Like a Version session, they also played “Sideways” off the album. Watch it below.
Portal landed at No. 20 on our 50 Best New Zealand Albums of 2025 list. “It’s safe to say Balu Brigada are one of the biggest success stories in modern New Zealand music,” we wrote. “The fact the brothers wrote and produced Portal entirely on their own makes their debut even more impressive.”
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The album was built over three years across cities like New York, Berlin, and their native Auckland, with each place leaving a unique sonic fingerprint. From the heavy, grungy textures of the NYC sessions to the serene, introspective energy of their roots in Aotearoa, the duo curated a sound that blends indie rock urgency with alt-pop finesse and festival-sized ambition.
For complete tour and ticket information, see here.
