Brijean

Since their debut as Brijean, the project of percussionist/singer-songwriter Brijean Murphy (the percussive heartbeat for live bands like Mitski, Poolside, and Toro y Moi) and multi-instrumentalist/producer Doug Stuart has moved with ingenuity, fusing psych-pop abstraction with dancefloor sensibilities. Through the body and mind, rhythm and lyricism, they make sense of the worlds around and within; 2021's Feelings celebrated self-reflection; 2022's Angelo processed loss, coinciding with the duo's first headlining tour, which doubled down on the material's desire to move. Now, across the playful expanse of Macro, arriving in 2024 on Ghostly International, Brijean engages different sides of themselves, the paradox of being alive.

Murphy, an accomplished DJ, session and live player in Oakland’s diverse music scene has emerged as one of indie’s most in-demand percussionists. In 2018, she began recording songs with multi-instrumentalist and producer Stuart, who shares a background in jazz and pop in bands such as Bells Atlas, Meernaa, and Luke Temple. Eventually dubbed Brijean, the project grew out of marathon sessions at their intimate home-studio. Their first effort, Walkie Talkie (released by Native Cat Recordings in 2019), found Murphy taking the mic for the first time to deliver dreamy dance tracks that felt home-cooked and effortlessly chic. Her layered percussion and hypnotic, expressive vocals coupled with Stuart’s production and harmonic palette evoked shades of disco, ‘90s house, and a sly pop sensibility. ​”A smooth, sumptuous, and soulful record,” said Bandcamp, who helped propel the group’s early following.

Murphy’s musical talents are family heirlooms: her father, percussionist and engineer Patrick Murphy, taught Brijean her first patterns on a pair of congas that she inherited from the late Trinidadian steel drum legend Vince Charles (of Neil Diamond). Growing up in LA’s Glassell Park, Murphy was raised by a cadre of honorary aunts and uncles – a deep bench of jazz, Latin and soul musicians in their own rites. This meant she grew up regaled by musical lore – larger-than-life tales of jazz luminaries, psychedelic trips and obscure cultural enclaves – sampling some of those family stories and weaving them into her work.
Growing up outside of Chicago, Stuart found his way into jazz clubs and festivals as a teenager, frequently going to hear Jeff Parker, Fred Anderson, and other members of the AACM. While attending the University of Michigan, he studied under Detroit jazz royalty, Robert Hurst and Geri Allen. After college, Stuart became intrigued by the music of J Dilla and Moodymann, and began learning production and exploring the connections between jazz, house, and hip-hop.