BROS: The Currie Brothers’ Other Band You Might Have Missed

Some records arrive with a bang. Others quietly slip into the world, waiting to be rediscovered years later.

BROS’ Vol. 2 falls firmly into the latter camp — a wonderfully strange, soulful and adventurous side trip from two musicians better known for turning up the guitars with The Sheepdogs.

Dig back through the catalogue of Ewan and Shamus Currie and you’ll find something sitting a little left of where you might expect. Away from the big riffs and classic-rock swagger of The Sheepdogs, the brothers created BROS, a studio project that gave them permission to follow their musical instincts wherever they happened to lead.

The first taste came with 2016’s Vol. 1, but it was Vol. 2 that really opened the doors. Across 13 tracks, the Curries jump between funk, soul, vintage pop, jazz, Tropicalia and the feel of an old AM radio without sounding like they're trying to prove anything. It feels less like a carefully mapped album and more like being handed the keys to somebody's ridiculously good record collection.

Recorded over two years in Toronto with producer and engineer Thomas D’Arcy, Vol. 2 grew into a genuine family-and-friends affair. The brothers brought in a horn section and tabla drummer, while Sheepdogs guitarist Jimmy Bowskill was encouraged to pick up instruments he wouldn't normally play. Their father, Neil Currie, even joined the sessions on piano.

That looseness is all over the record.

'Sunflower' wanders into Tropicalia, Clams Casino slides towards smooth jazz and 'Never Gonna Stop' digs deep into a dirty, low-slung funk groove. Then there are tracks like 'Crazy Schemes' and You Love This Song, which sound as though they might have been rescued from a forgotten stack of 1970s AM radio singles. That's really the charm of BROS. 

Where The Sheepdogs thrives on guitars, rock 'n' roll and the energy of a live stage, BROS feels like the record collection you put on after everyone gets back to the house. It's looser, stranger and occasionally a little mischievous — music made by musicians clearly enjoying the freedom of not having to follow the rules of their day job.

There's something particularly appealing about hearing Vol. 2 now, removed from the moment in which it originally appeared. Without the pressure of being the new release, you're free to simply wander through it and discover all the little details. And perhaps that's why it's worth digging back out.

BROS' Vol. 2 might have slipped past you the first time around. That's a pretty good reason to go back and find it.