BB Brunes: A French Band You Might Actually Like

BB Brunes is at the forefront of the new French Rock scene. They’re one among a gaggle of Punk-loving bands barely out of their teens that emerged in the mid-to-late 2000’s. They’re also one of the few contemporary French bands to achieve significant commercial success singing in their native tongue.

English-speakers will find much to like in their music, as they’re primarily influenced by the seminal punk bands of the 70’s (The Clash, The Ramones, etc.) and the Post-Punk revival bands of the early 2000’s (The Strokes, The Libertines, The White Stripes, The Vines, etc.).

Their latest album is a must-have for anyone who likes Indie Rock.

The band was formed by childhood friends who began playing together at age 12. They take their name from lead singer Adrien Gallo’s favorite Serge Gainsbourg song, “The Intials BB,” and from the Boulevard Brune in the Paris neighborhood where some of the members grew up.

One big reason for their success is that they’ve accomplished something very difficult: they successfully keep the French lyrics from sounding awkward. Since their verbose language requires a lot of words to say the smallest little thing, it can sound downright awful when a French singer tries to cram all the words into a bar. That’s why so many French bands say “to heck with it” and just sing in English instead, but BB Brunes cleverly makes their native tongue work. The French get music to enjoy in their own language, while the English speakers get music that sounds like Rock as they know it.

The guys released their danceable debut album, Blonde Comme Moi, while still in high school, announcing their arrival in a haze of Garage Rock fuzz and dirty guitars. The album spawned the hit “Dis-moi.”

Nico Teen Love

By the time their follow-up Nico Teen Love was released in 2009, the band was something of a teen sensation. The album title, of course, is a play on the word “nicotine,” and a shout-out to The Velvet Underground (and singer Nico).

I consider this an ESSENTIAL album for anybody interested in French Rock. While I question their song choices for the album’s singles — I can only guess that the breathy-vocaled tracks like “Lalalove You,” “Britty Boy” and “Nico Teen Love” appeal best to French audiences — the music throughout is cool, catchy and accessible. This is the album that propelled the band to stardom, and you should get your hands on it as an import.

The album went platinum and won the band a coveted Victoire de la Musique (French Grammy) in 2009 for Best New Artist.

In 2011, the group released an EP of all-English songs (Anglais), contributed “Gaby oh Baby” to the Alain Bashung cover album Tels Alain Bashung, and released the album Nico Teen Live, which included acoustic and live performances, and the previously unreleased hit song “Cul et Chemise,” which is sung to the tune of “Alright” by Supergrass.

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Long Courrier

With the band starting out so young, it’s only natural that they get better and better with age and experience. To that end, BB Brunes’ third and latest album, Long Courrier, is their best yet. The boys have definitely found their groove. The instrumentals are better, the guitar riffs are more melodic, and the songs are more vibrant and catchy.

Please Note: This album is only available as a physical CD in the U.S. No digital formats are available.


Here’s the album’s lead-off single, “Coups et Blessures.” :

The second single, “Stereo” showcases the French electro sound that’s enjoyed so much popularity over the years.

I love the falsetto part of the chorus of “Aficionado.” The video has handy lyric subtitles for all you language learners out there.

BB Brunes’ single “Bye-Bye” is one of their best yet. By now, you should be getting the picture that it’s time to get this French Rock album for your listening pleasure. It’s worth the price for the import CD.

In 2014, frontman Adrien Gallo released his solo project, Gemini.

What do you think of this band? Leave a comment below.