Brous

Haunting melodies, shimmering organ lines and one powerful voice: BROUS' music is an uncompromising vision for pop. Brous (pron. Bruce) is the daring new musical venture by Sophia Brous. The Melbourne based musician has developed a striking sound with the instinct and swagger of a performer well beyond her years. She is bold. Her band are made up of gifted musicians featuring members of Pikelet, Ned Collette + Wirewalker and Lost Animal. Her songs evoke the widescreen majesty of Scott Walker and classic melodies of Morricone's Mina - unforgettable choruses crowned by Brous' extraordinarily expressive voice. Coming from a second-generation Austrian/Polish migrant family, Brous' early musical experimentation was influenced by a family made up of musicians, sculptors and novelists. From a young age Brous developed an insatiable appetite for diverse forms of music, and at 15 immersed herself in the live music scene of Melbourne, sitting in on jam sessions and making her stage debut performing with motown legend Gil Askey. Brous fell heavily into her jazz music. She studied at the Victorian College of Arts (while also studying law), before moving to Boston USA to study at the New England Conservatory and being awarded the world tour scholarship to the Berklee College of Music, Boston. On her return home she was invited to become the Director of the Melbourne International Jazz Festival. The youngest person ever to fill the role. Brous' musical interests continued to develop. She became inspired by the lush soundtracks of 50s noir and exotica, underground Europop, psych, lounge and other worldly hyper-nostalgia; by films of great directors and their characters of pathos. Written by Brous and co-produced with Scott Horscroft and Shags Chamberlain her self-titled EP has a depth and richness of arrangement not often heard in debut records made today. In first single 'Streamers', she sings of the dizzying delirium of current-day social interaction. The song is a sugarsweet psychpop anthem replete with fuzz guitar and Komeda-esque children's chorus that will continue ringing in listener's ears well beyond the first play. Sophia Brous has lent her voice to recordings by Augie March, Jens Lekman, Cut Copy and many more. A gifted performer most at home on the stage, Brous has played shows with a host of celebrated artists and is set to make her own national debut as she and her band embark on shows throughout the country later this year. .