Brass Bed

Brass Bed, an indie outfit rooted in Louisiana, first surfaced during the mid-2000s with scant local notice in Lafayette. Working steadily on intricately constructed, sometimes explosive power pop in a city famed for Cajun traditions, the band encountered obstacles comparable to those once faced by the now-legendary Big Star while pushing against prevailing currents in 1970s Memphis. Their reference points track more closely with the Beatles and Beach Boys than with Beausoleil. After issuing the self-released Midnight Matinee in 2008, they aligned with Philadelphia label Park the Van, which put out the group’s first recording for the imprint, the sparkling Melt White, in 2010. Though it drew favorable critical notice, the album did not expand Brass Bed’s reach to a broader national listenership. The band subsequently pared down to the core trio of Christiaan Mader, Jonny Campos, and Peter DeHart before releasing a follow-up on Crossbill Records. That 2013 effort, The Secret Will Keep You, drew substantially greater attention, securing praise from major media outlets and opening pathways to wider recognition. Their fourth LP, 2016’s In the Yellow Leaf, found the musicians pursuing a more urgent, noisier direction.