The DJ Takeover sponsored by Level Up is a program for listeners to discover their favorite artist's favorite artists, working to foster connection to the music and makers inside and outside our city. For the entire hour, we go down the rabbit hole of stories from their past, experiences of the present and goals for the future.
Halle, Adrian, Alex and Eric of Brindled understand each other on another level. They see why 1970s art-punk Milwaukee band The Blackholes supersedes their collective experience with Portuguese metal. They understand the sub-genre of “dungeon synth” under the umbrella of noise pop (“It depends on what dungeon you’re in,” Halle noted).
Together, they connect each other's dots and string together a new yet cohesive language I could easily understand. For example, “Dogfest” is obviously a hypothetical outdoor music festival in which the lineup consists of local bands with dog-related names, (i.e. Dogs in Ecstasy, Ladybird, Muzzle). Duh.
It quickly became clear that the root of Milwaukee’s indie noise-pop band is friendship. But, just in case it wasn’t, lead vocalist Halle Luksich explained the band’s deep connection thusly: “It's a friendship beyond friendship, and you can't quite find that anywhere except for being in a band. The creative output matched with the really deep relationships you can have with people is super special.”
For this Takeover, the group shared ’80s electronic music from Oppenheimer Analysis and ’70s-inspired contemporary synth-pop from @, then (against all odds) proclaimed their devotion to Trans by Neil Young over any other Young album.
Brindled set the record for most shoutouts done on-air (approximately eight if you’re up for the challenge). The last went to Adrian’s wife Elizabeth, who stands as the first in-person guest to join us for a Takeover. Bringing our time together full circle, Adrian matter-of-factly stated, “We bring friends. We’re Brindled.”
The band has music in the works and plans to resume live shows in 2026. Until then, you can find 2024 full-length Tornado! Good Day! on Bandcamp and streaming services.
DJ Takeover: Brindled playlist
- Brindled, “Friends”
- The Blackholes, “Warren Spahn”
- Oppenheimer Analysis, “Radiance”
- @, “Friendship is Frequency”
- Neil Young, “Computer Age”
- X, “I Must Not Think Bad Thoughts”
- Sharp Pins, “When You Know”
- Dressy Bessy, “I Found Out”
- So Zuppy, “Little Memory”
