BROODS

Sibling duo Broods debuted in the post-Lorde 2010s with a dark electronic pop sound that helped boost their first album, the chart-topping Evergreen, to international attention upon the strength of the platinum-certified single “Mother & Father.” Expanding their sound on the 2016 follow-up Conscious, they swept that year’s New Zealand Music Awards, winning Album of the Year, Best Group, and more. 2019′s Don't Feed the Pop Monster kept the duo planted in the New Zealand Top Three, buffered by the success of platinum single “Peaches.” Focusing on the future, Broods had escapism in mind for their fourth full-length, the Stint-produced Space Island, which landed in 2022.
Comprising vocalist Georgia Nott and her elder multi-instrumentalist brother Caleb Nott, the pair grew up surrounded by music, and started playing together when they were children. They were in the Peasants, a band that won a competition for intermediate (junior high) and high school musical acts in 2011. After the Peasants broke up, the siblings formed Broods and connected with producer Joel Little, who had served as a judge during the contest. In October 2013, months after Little gained recognition for his work with another Auckland native, Lorde, Broods uploaded “Bridges” to a music-sharing site and subsequently signed major-label contracts for various territories. The following January, “Bridges” was released commercially and reached the Top Ten in New Zealand.
A self-titled six-track EP co-written by the Notts and Little (the latter also produced), was issued at the end of the month. In New Zealand, the moody set debuted at number two, just beneath Lorde’s Pure Heroine. Released in the U.S. the following month — less than a week after Lorde’s “Royals” won a Grammy for Song of the Year — Broods debuted at number 164 on the Billboard 200. Their debut album, Evergreen, arrived in September 2014, topped the New Zealand chart, and reached number 45 in the U.S.
In April 2016, the duo and Little returned with “Free,” the first single from their sophomore album. Their second New Zealand chart-topper, Conscious, arrived in mid-2016 and featured the Lorde-penned “Heartlines” and a collaboration with Tove Lo. After dominating the 2016 New Zealand Music Awards, they joined international tours with Two Door Cinema Club and Tove Lo. Before the arrival of album three, Broods joined Flight Facilities for “Stranded” and Whethan on “Be Like You.” Don't Feed the Pop Monster arrived in February 2019 and reached number three in New Zealand. The duo promoted the effort with an international tour that began in London.
When Broods were ready to record their fourth long-player, they called on Stint (MØ, Kesha) to produce. Including 2021 singles such as the Ladyhawke collaboration “Guilty Love” and their own “Piece of My Mind,” Space Island centered on Georgia’s recent divorce and her emotional recovery. ~ Andy Kellman