Bros

BROS is the new project from Ewan and Shamus Currie, front man and keyboardist, respectively, for platinum-selling Canadian band The Sheepdogs. Although they are indeed brothers, the name was chosen with tongue firmly planted in cheek, a reflection of the 10-song self-titled debut album daringly expanding their sonic range in unexpected and playful ways.

This isn’t Sheepdogs-style rawk; in fact, there’s not a lot of guitar on the album at all. Instead, the sound of BROS, encapsulated in the album’s first single “Tell Me,” combines vintage funk and power pop in the spirit of what Sly & The Family Stone once called a whole new thing.

The origin of BROS goes back to the winter of 2014, just after Ewan and Shamus relocated to Toronto from Saskatoon, and prior to The Sheepdogs recording their most recent album, Future Nostalgia. Finding themselves with some downtime, the pair started working on some experimental demos that drew from influences ranging from Badfinger to Latin music legends such as Gilberto Gil and Os Mutantes.

Once enough material was ready, the scene shifted to Thomas D’Arcy’s Toronto studio, Taurus Recording, where the necessary ingredients were added to the musical gumbo on BROS. The end result is an album that’s simultaneously comforting in its familiarity, and astonishing in its inventiveness.

What’s not to like, bro?