Toronto-based rock band BRKN LOVE is coming to the Bronson Centre Nov. 12 to tour their new album, Black Box, set to release Nov. 4
The band will be opening for blues rock duo The Blue Stones as they embark on an 11-day cross-Canada tour.
Their first album, self-titled BRKN LOVE, released in February 2020 and proved to be a smashing success. A cover of “River” by Billy Briggs, which is featured on the album, has garnered over 1.9 billion views across TikTok and other platforms.
They have also seen a recent spike on Spotify, with over 586,000 monthly listeners and 35 million streams.
BRKN LOVE has already released eight of the eleven tracks featured on the new album through two EPs, titled Vol. 1, released June 10, and Vol. 2, released Sept. 23. Black Box will consist of these eight songs, along with three brand new tracks.
The Charlatan sat down with BRKN LOVE frontman Justin Benlolo to discuss how the band fits into the rock music scene, their new album and their upcoming stop in Ottawa.
The Charlatan (TC): Does the band have any particular mission with its music?
Justin Benlolo (JB): It’s simple—we write songs we like and then we play them. And then, hopefully other people like them too. We definitely have big aspirations. I want to be an arena rock band and reach the heights of the Foo Fighters and Queens of the Stone Age, but first and foremost we just focus on making great songs we love.
TC: How did BRKN LOVE form?
JB: I had the first album written but I didn’t have a band yet. My manager is based in New York, and she just knew who to call. We just sent out the music, the right guys responded, and at some point, we all ended up in a room together. But Nick Katz and Russell Holzman, our rhythm section, went to school together, so they’ve known each other for a while. It’s nice when your rhythm section has the vibe that they’ve been playing together for years—it makes for a better, tighter rhythm section. It’s been that way for three or four years now.
TC: Where does the band pull its inspiration from?
JB: We’re pulling from a lot of modern rock bands. We love bands like Royal Blood and Highly Suspect. Those bands are really great and big inspirations for us. There’s also a scene that’s been set with these newer rock bands, and I like to think that we’re part of this new wave of rock.
TC: What is your upcoming album, Black Box, all about?
JB: It was put together over the past year and a half. A lot of the writing for it started over the pandemic when there was a lot of downtime, and we’ve now released two EPs that are being compiled into this full record. I think it’s the best selection of songs we’ve ever written. It’s a really special piece of music, and I think it’s the next evolution in our musical journey. It’s everything that people loved about our first record, but turned up to, like, 11. It’s a little heavier, a little catchier and just bigger all around.
TC: How are you feeling about BRKN LOVE’s recent spike in popularity on Spotify and TikTok?
JB: Well, I’m definitely more in tune with Spotify. On TikTok, a “sound” is just a fleeting thing that people add onto their videos. I don’t think people really pay attention to the artists, per se, at least for artists like us. It’s hard to say how much popularity we retain from that. Spotify is definitely more organic—people are seeking it out. It takes more effort to keep coming back, and I think that creates a more receptive audience. The number of streams that our new songs have gotten has been incredible.
TC: How are you feeling about stopping in Ottawa on your tour?
JB: It’s going to be great. I love touring Canada. It’s always nice going back to venues that we’ve played before and seeing how much more of an audience we’re pulling, because we still haven’t headlined anything in Canada yet. But over the years, we’ve definitely seen a larger portion of fans coming just to see us, and I have a feeling that this next Canadian tour is going to be a pretty significant draw on our end. We’ve found our fit in more local music scenes. I remember faces, and on this tour, I’ve seen a lot of repeat customers. It feels like we’re finally breaking through and making connections.
Black Box, BRKN LOVE’s second album, will be available on all major streaming platforms Nov. 4.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Featured image by Daniel Dorta.
