BrÅves

Los Angeles-based trio BRÅVES came together in 2015. Their profile rose after producer Jack Douglas invited them to record a track for a documentary he was scoring on the illegal poaching of African elephants. The group, made up of versatile multi-instrumentalist vocalists Johnny What together with Australian twins Thorald and Jericho of the Wood, delivered “Crush” for the film’s soundtrack, a hazy mixture of R&B vocal layers and intricate electronic percussion patterns. Shortly afterward the trio issued several additional singles online, presenting the material with virtually no background details beyond the recordings themselves. They cultivated an anonymous identity by operating as uncredited artists with scant digital footprints and by circulating only dimly lit, heavily shadowed images that showed the members draped in dark cloaks and concealing their faces. This emphasis on mystery led the music toward leaner, more minimal textures and prompted videos that omitted any appearances by the musicians. Their self-titled debut album arrived in early 2017.