At just 16 years old, Toronto kid Justin Benlolo left school and moved to New York to chase his musical dreams. He began writing songs and recording demos, which were discovered by producer Joel Hamilton. While in New York, he found guitarist Kyle Duke, bassist Nick Katz, and drummer Russell Holzman, and Brkn Love was born.

Benlolo was born to sing. His singing abilities scored him leading roles in Elementary School plays. He claims his biggest influence was Kiss, whose incredible live performances were a huge inspiration for him. With their colorful costumes and electrifying performances, he saw them as superheroes.

He was also influenced by Soundgarden, Foo Fighters, Queens of the Stone Age, Black Sabbath,  Wolfmother, Nirvana, and Muse.

He got his first guitar at 11 years old and never looked back. He taught himself how to play it by ear.

The name Brkn Love comes from the first letter of his favorite albums and the last letter of his favorite songs. The fact that it worked out so perfectly is a coincidence.

In 2019, they released their first single “Shot Down.” They also toured with Dinosaur Pile-up and Pop Evil, which was a huge break for the band.

In 2020, they released their debut album, Brkn Love. They were supposed to go on tour, but the pandemic put a hold on that. They would eventually tour once the world opened back up with Royal Tusk, Big Wreck, and Monster Truck in 2021. In 2022, they toured with Badmother.

Brkn Love is a fantastic first entry. They made an impact and put the rock industry on notice. It was ranked in many year-end lists as one of the best debut albums of the year. The whole thing is good from top to bottom. I would recommend giving it a listen. “I See Red,” “Shot Down,” “Papercuts,” “Seventeen,” “Toxic Twin,” “Complicated,” “Don’t Panic,” and “I Can’t Lie” are my favorites off the 15-song album.

They followed up with their second and most recent album in 2022, Black Box. It’s another strong effort for the rising band. “Dead Weight,” “Like a Drug,” “Under the Knife,” “Rubber Room,” “Animal,” “Bad Blood,” and “One in the Same” stand out as my picks for this one. Tune into Evolution 107.9 to hear the newest songs off Black Box from Brkn Love!

If you like Royal Blood, you’ll probably like Brkn Love. They’re cut from the same cloth.

They played at Vogue Theatre last November and tore the house down! I hope they come back soon with new music to play. I’m excited to see where Brkn Love goes from here.