"The Fresh Brunettes can be described as dirty but pretty," says band founder Aleisha Burton. "Garage but indie. Punk but pop. Crass with class." Originally from Portland, Oregon, circumstance led Burton to San Diego in 2011, where she Jerry Ibarra and joined Ibarra's group the Llamadors.
The duo formed the Fresh Brunettes in 2014 with drummer Alexis McAfee, with the goal or writing all original music. "We do have one cover that we perform by Regina Spektor that we would like to think we put our own spin on," said Burton early on.
"When we play, we don't just strive for us to have a good time, but our audience as well. We also like to add a personal touch to every show. Sometimes, that means talking about the meanings of our songs to get a reaction from the audience. Sometimes, that means handwriting personal thank you notes for people in our audience for coming to our show."
In 2016, they recorded an album called Fouled Up Beyond All Recognition. Burton explains "We like to go as garage and/or punk as possible, but then there's just that one thing that classes or sweetens it up. Think wearing a nice outfit with a Mohawk, or a mid-century style living room but then adding erotic art on the walls. There's just that something that makes something rough sparkle. And we take the meaning literal."
According to Alexis McAfee, "FUBAR, our first single and the acronym for our first album's name, was inspired by William Faulkner's use of FUBAR, a military slang term that means Fucked Up Beyond Any Repair or All Recognition. This is why our album is called Fouled Up Beyond All Recognition."
The album was recorded by Paul Ryu (Mittens) and mastered by Ryu and the Fresh Brunettes, whose 2016/2017 lineup featured Burton and McAfee backed by new bassist Paul Mittens.