BRNDA Offers Ultra-Original Post-Punk on New Album

The D.C. music scene has always been a vibrant intermingling of world-class musicians with roots in countless genres. As the world attempts to recover from Covid-19, both new and established acts from the area are barreling back headfirst into the music scene — and they’ve got a lot to share. Read on for our reviews of 10 local artists’ impressive new releases.

BRNDA, a D.C.-based band with a flair for the absurd, is taking post-punk to new heights. The band’s self-proclaimed rules — no love songs and no covers — might seem to impose limits upon their material at first glance, but after listening to their discography you’ll quickly realize the assumption is wrong.

BRNDA’s third album “Do You Like Salt?” centers questions above all else. “Perfect World” highlights the group’s irreverent worldview, bolstered by upbeat, playful riffs reminiscent of the B-52s. The track offers a choice of one of two doors: “You’ll have a friend with a friendly dog/ you’ll be a friendly neighbor and give high fives” or, “You’ll go to sleep knowing you have made a contribution.” Both are, according to the chorus, the perfect world.

Pretty nice, right? Wrong.

BRNDA reminds us those doors represent the illusion of choice – and they do it with a smile on their faces. What’s more, BRNDA’s sound is just as eclectic as their perspective: the album is jam-packed with bouncy riffs, at times shimmery and light, at other moments marked by a satisfyingly caustic edge that underscores the band’s satirical, tongue-in-cheek lyrics.

They’re a group who’ve done their research, scouring the musical spectrum of new wave, punk, indie rock and much more to arrive at an alluring concoction of music’s greatest sounds and never-ending twists.

Check out BRNDA at their upcoming show on December 10 at Lost City Books in D.C. For more information on BRNDA, visit brendatheband.com or follow them on Instagram
@brndatheband.