Brazilian Girls' Sabina Sciubba on Motherhood and Rock and Roll

Much has happened to Brazilian Girls in the seven years since the band started working on its new album, Let’s Make Love.

"We all kind of had babies, and so that considerably slowed everything down," says frontwoman Sabina Sciubba. "We’re all completely in disbelief that the record came out, because not only was it a long process — [but] we have nine children now."

And blocking out time for a short tour is hard as well.

“It’s really kind of my fault, because I’m the only mom that’s in the band,” Sciubba says. “So, I guess maybe it’s the hardest for me to leave for a long time. I really can’t leave the kids much longer than a week or ten days, especially if I go overseas and I’m far away. It makes me anxious, and the kids don’t love it.”

The members, who will be playing Denver Wednesday night at one of five North American stops, also created their own projects over the years, including Sciubba, who released a solo album, Toujours, in 2014, and played the character Penelope in the FX comedy series Baskets. 


The bandmates are currently spread across three countries: Sciubba, who lived in France, is now based in Italy; keyboardist Didi Gutman lives in Madrid; and bassist Jesse Murphy and drummer Aaron Johnston both live in upstate New York. When they started on Let’s Make Love, the initial idea was to send music files back and forth electronically, but Sciubba says it was like a long-distance romance — not easy at all.

“Some things you can only do when you’re actually together,” she adds.

When they were able to all be in the same room, whether at sessions in Paris, Madrid, New York or Istanbul, they wrote songs more quickly, as many as four in a session.

With the help of longtime producer and collaborator Frederik Rubens, the group finally finished Let’s Make Love, a collection of thirteen cuts in the vein of the previous three Brazilian Girls albums, including the last release, 2008’s Grammy-nominated New York City. Like its predecessors, Let’s Make Love is steeped in electronica, reggae and lounge, but it packs more punch, thanks in part to energetic dance cuts like “Pirates,” "Go Out More Often" and the title track.


The lyrics Sciubba wrote for the new album are characteristically autobiographical, but this time, more straightforward and honest than her previous efforts, because she no longer fears people judging her. She says she used to write lyrics in code, where it might not be entirely clear who she was writing about, but now she writes the first thing that comes to mind.

“I’ve grown,” says the 43-year-old Sciubba. “I’m not as insecure. I think that I feel more assured in my life. I’m a woman, and I have children. I’m a mom. I don’t have time to waste on insecurity. I don't have time for it, quite honestly. It’s not like I go out at night and try to seduce anyone. The closest I come to seducing is to put some lipstick on to pick my kids up from school or doing a show. But in a way, it’s cool, because it’s kind of more rock-and-roll. It’s kind of more down to earth and not giving a shit. I really like that."

Brazilian Girls, with Tiger Party, featuring Allen Aucoin of the Disco Biscuits and Josh Fairman of Sunsquabi and Analog Son, 9 p.m. Wednesday, May 9, 303-377-1666, Bluebird Theater, $20.