Brazzmatazz Builds an 18-Piece Brass Monolith on ‘Crank Up the Pressure’

Brazzmatazz has been growing since 2014. On their new album Crank Up the Pressure, the Ghent collective balloons to 18 members, delivering a set that channels ska-punk, cinematic brass, and outright absurdity. The scale is deliberate: with this many horns and percussionists, the sound gets crowded in the best way.

The rollout was unhurried. First single “Clockwork Concerto” surfaced last year, its video a cyberpunk-meets-Ren-Faire costume drama built around a giant clock wheel. A sax solo opens, a trumpet interlude cools things down, then the whole ensemble launches back into motion. Second single “Walk the Plank” brought the band to the docks in pirate garb, mugging for passersby and tapping a Madness-meets-Mighty Mighty Bosstones vein. The track’s shouted title hook feels engineered for short-form video, though the band’s discography suggests they don’t pander.

The album doesn’t let up. The title track is a handclap chant built for festival tents. “Fistycuffs” plays at conflict like a mock fight between friends. “Ocular Phenomenon” shifts into Bond-theme territory, while “Losbandigheid” veers from laughter to bongo solos and sudden tempo halvings. “Puppet Play” loops an eight-note earworm through wordless singalongs and time-signature switches. Closer “Barrage” nods to the cosmic-jazz intensity of A Comet Is Coming.

The band’s live potential is obvious—an 18-piece brass mass is a ready-made spectacle. Crank Up the Pressure lands as a meticulous mess, a record that understands the power of overstatement without sounding bloated.