Academy Award–winning songwriter, composer, and Flight of the Conchords co-founder Bret McKenzie stopped by The SoCal Sound for a rare live on-air session in Los Angeles, joining Nic Harcourt for an intimate performance and interview featuring his signature wit, musicality, and storytelling. McKenzie, who at the time of filming was touring behind his newest album Freak Out City, delivered a trio of songs, filled the studio with humor, and reminded listeners why he remains one of the most versatile creative forces in modern music.
This exclusive SoCal Sound Session arrived on the final day of the station’s membership pledge drive, creating a unique collision of live performance energy and public-radio urgency — the perfect moment to highlight how listener-supported public radio supports the arts and how the arts supports public radio, and how it supports our audience.
A SoCal Sound Exclusive: Bret McKenzie Performs “Freak Out City” Live in Studio
McKenzie opened the session with “Freak Out City,” the explosive, hook-driven title track from his new album. Performed alongside a stripped-down band — Leo Cassini on keys and Iris Little and Moana on backing vocals — the song opened up the morning with its mix of satire, paranoia, and McKenzie’s unmistakable melodic charm.
The track’s lyrics about conspiracy-obsessed friends, digital rabbit holes, and the absurdity of modern life landed perfectly in a live public-radio environment, and especially during a frenzied pledge drive, McKenzie quipped playfully between lines while Nic Harcourt kept the energy up, reminding listeners, “We need 400 bucks. Come on, America! Call in Now!”
The performance highlighted why McKenzie’s songwriting has transitioned seamlessly from Flight of the Conchords comedy to deeply crafted solo work — his melodies hit hard, his phrasing is effortless, and his blend of humor and sincerity feels like classic Bret.
Dreams, Unicorns, and Soundtracks: McKenzie’s Film-Scoring Mind in Action
McKenzie followed with “Dreams,” a soaring, cinematic song originally written for the animated film Thelma the Unicorn. Though it didn’t end up in the final cut, fans of Brittany Howard, Alabama Shakes, or McKenzie’s other soundtrack work (like The Muppets, which earned him an Academy Award) will instantly recognize his golden touch for emotional storytelling through melody.
The performance doubled as a masterclass in McKenzie’s creative process. During the interview, he explained how studio briefs often require ultra-specific musical tasks, including for a recent Minecraft movie, where he was asked to write a 123-BPM hero song with heavy bass and limited upper mids to leave space for sword-fighting sound effects.
“And I didn't want too many, sort of. It's a bit techie, but sort of high mid sounds because they had a lot of sword fighting sounds in the scene. Got it. So they didn't want the music to compete with the punches. Right. So then I was, I assure, and they said, can you do that by Monday? So then I sat down, I tried to write a song like that.”
It’s rare that listeners get this level of behind-the-curtain insight, and it’s exactly what makes The SoCal Sound the destination for songwriter discovery, film composers, and artists with depth.
“If You Want to Go”: A Raw, Soulful Live Rendition
McKenzie wrapped the session with “If You Want to Go,” a standout from his previous album that blends folk-rock textures with understated emotional weight. This exclusive stripped back version for The SoCal Sound Sessions was truly a unique performance, mostly because live over the air is such a frenzied experience.
Nic Harcourt closed the conversation by thanking McKenzie for bringing his band and sharing his music on the airwaves — and teased hopes of hosting the full eight-piece New Zealand touring band in a future session.
Freak Out City Tour: Largo at the Coronet + International Dates
At the time of his visit, McKenzie was kicking off the Freak Out City Tour with back-to-back shows at Largo at the Coronet in Los Angeles. Night one was sold out, but McKenzie mentioned that a handful of tickets remained for night two. He also returned to Los Angeles to play a show with The Beths at The Wiltern on Nov 7.
Freak Out City is currently available to stream and on color LP from Sub Pop .
NIC HARCOURT: You're listening to The SoCal Sound, and it is the final day this Friday of our pledge drive, and we're still looking for about 600 bucks and your support right now. (818) 677-3636 is the number to call.
And if you want to hear some live music, now is the time. Right here in our studios: Bret McKenzie. Welcome.
BRET McKENZIE: Hey, nice to be here.
Catching Up
NIC: Do I sound like I've been drinking coffee since 7:00 this morning?
BRET: (laughs) Sounds like you've been driving.
NIC: Good to see you. You and I met a whole bunch of years ago in Pasadena, I think, when you were recording Flight of the Conchords stuff. It was a day Sid Khosla, who's now a huge music composer, was there with his band Godspell.
BRET: Yeah, we were working near East Pasadena. Mickey Petralia, the producer, has a spot out there called Hot Pie Studios. I spent a lot of time in that area, eating from the Whole Foods pizza department.
NIC: They used to have a guy there who would do dessert pizza. Did you ever get one of those?
NIC: Anyway, welcome to the station. You've got an album out — we've been playing it. We played the last solo album as well. And you've got some shows in town tonight and tomorrow at Largo?
BRET: Yes, the Largo Theater. Such a cool spot.
NIC: So you're going to play a few songs. We'll come back and chat and catch up. We should say very quickly, if you're listening to us and you've not yet subscribed, we're $470 shy of making our goal for this hour. Hit us up at (818) 677-3636 while we listen to Bret McKenzie, who's in studio.
By the way, on this one, you've got Leo Cassini on keys, Iris Little on backing vocals… there’s four of you in here, right?
BRET: Yeah, there’s four of us in here.
Live Performance #1 – “Freak Out City”
[Bret McKenzie and band perform “Freak Out City” live in studio.]
BRET (during song): Pledge drive — 818-677-3636. Come on, SoCal Sound. Yep, we need 400 bucks. Come on, America!
Live Performance #2 – “Dreams”
BRET: The next song is a tune called “Dreams.” This one is from a movie about a pony that wants to be a unicorn. Here we go.
[Bret performs “Dreams” live in studio.]
Film Work & Songwriting
NIC: It's Bret McKenzie live on The SoCal Sound. Thanks for hanging out with us. So you just said that song is from a movie. Which movie did you say it was?
BRET: It’s from a movie called Thelma the Unicorn. It was for Brittany Howard from Alabama Shakes to sing. The movie changed, and we didn’t end up using that one. We did other songs, but I really liked that one, so I kept it.
NIC: Isn’t that the way it goes? Sometimes when you're writing something on spec for a film, the more you like it, the less likely it is that it ends up in the movie.
But you do a lot of film work as well as a composer. You've got an Academy Award. The new album, Freak Out City, was just released, and you're kicking off the Freak Out City tour tonight, right?
BRET: Yeah, we're doing a tour very quickly across America — L.A. to Washington, Washington to New York, then going to London. I've got this giant band of New Zealanders that I've brought over, like an eight-piece band. We’re going to try and squeeze onto the Largo stage. It should be super fun. Tonight's sold out, but tomorrow there are a few tickets left, so people should come.
NIC: When you're writing songs for an album as opposed to writing songs for a movie, how do you approach it when you get a brief for someone like Alabama Shakes or Brittany Howard?
BRET: My job is, I get emails or a phone call and they say things like: for the Minecraft movie, “Can you write a song that is 123 BPM, has a lot of bass, has a theme about being a hero, and can go under this fight scene?”
They didn't want too many high-mid sounds because they had a lot of sword-fighting sounds in the scene, so they didn't want the music to compete with the punches. Then they say, “Can you do that by Monday?” So I sit down and try to write a song like that. That was the most specific brief I've ever had. Usually it's just a line, like “a song about a dream.”
That's super fun — I jump into the head of the character and come up with a little song hat.
NIC: How do you work? Are you somebody who just writes when the feeling hits you?
BRET: I've got kids, so I've got office hours. I drop them at school and try to write something before I pick them up. Once I pick them up, it's over.
Sometimes I’m halfway through and think, “I’ve got a bridge,” and then I hear, “Where are my shoes?” Then it's all gone. So I try to wrap it up by 3pm.
Pledge Drive & Wrap-Up
NIC: I’m so glad that you're here. It’s a brief conversation today because we’re in the pledging — we’ve got to get to our goal.
BRET: I’ll put in 50 — now we’re closer!
NIC: There you go. Come on, L.A., we can do this. (818) 677-3636, or give online at TheSoCalSound.org.
We talked years ago about getting Flight of the Conchords in and it never worked out. You and I did a podcast a few years ago, then I saw you had an album and were coming to town, and you said you’d love to come in. Thanks for bringing the guys — we’ll get the other eight next time.
BRET: Yeah, maybe we can squeeze them in here.
Live Performance #3 – “If You Want to Go”
NIC: You’ve got one more song that you’re going to do for us. What are you going to wrap with?
BRET: I’m going to wrap up with a track from the last album. It’s called “If You Want to Go.”
[Bret McKenzie performs “If You Want to Go” live in studio.]
NIC: Thanks, Bret. Great to see you. Thanks so much.
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