Just three years following their critically acclaimed third studio album Don’t Feed the Pop Monster, New Zealand duo BROODS’ newest electro-pop record, Space Island, is finally releasing this Friday. With fans eager to hear more from the musical pair made up of siblings Caleb and Georgia Nott illuminating their personal journeys through surf rock and synth-pop numbers, lead singer Georgia tells PopCulture.com exclusively she hopes listeners will find comfort in Space Island, especially amid such a contentious and isolating time in our life.
“I hope they feel like it propels them forward when life is like wading through mud and reminds them that they are resilient and magical and that all pain can be transmuted,” Georgia said of the album that has been one of the most “organic” sounding records she and her brother have made in a while. “We used a lot more analog and acoustic instruments than ever before. I think it’s probably due to what we’ve been listening to,” she said, naming artists like Les Baxter and Sinn Sissamouth. “A lot of warm and cinematic stuff, which influenced us a lot. But it still has that shiny pop vibe that we love and wanted to bring in, especially given the futuristic themes of Space Island.”
Videos by PopCulture.com
Sharing how the album’s title Space Island came from a “sonic” description of its last track, “If You Fall in Love,” Georgia reveals how she and Caleb began playing around with instruments to hammer the idea down for a more complete, rounded picture of the record. “We were playing with lasers and slide guitars, and it made us think of an island in space. The deeper metaphors just began sticking and collecting, like shards of metal to a magnet, as we sat with the words Space Island,” she said. “It became a whole world where we went to process our own grief and to reflect and learn from it. Nature is the greatest teacher in learning to deal with grief. So it’s become a place of natural and, at times aggressive beauty. Basically, a lot like Aotearoa [the Māori name for New Zealand].”
Boasting a diaristic songwriting style, the unique musical elements featured on Space Island complement some very emotionally compelling lyrics written by both Caleb and Georgia. Coming from a “pretty melancholic place,” the BROODS singer-songwriter further states the pair didn’t really go in with an “idea of what [they] wanted” the new record to sound like. Instead, they “followed what felt good and exciting.” Thankfully it led them to a very eclectic album. “The importance of tracklisting is real!” she said. “We made what could have been a bit erratic into a story that takes you through the landscapes of the last few years of our lives.”
With “Piece of Mind” being the duo’s first single off the record followed by “Heartbreak” and “Like a Woman,” it’s no secret all three of the songs have a very different vibe. But as Georgia admits, it was all intentional. “We loved all three of those tracks, and they told the story that we wanted to tell with the videos as well. We wanted to make a whole film. We do the whole dream on a giant scale and then let your limits guide you gently to the end product,” she said. “What came out of it was this trilogy of escapism, confrontation and finally acceptance.”
“Piece of Mind,” also the album’s second track, explores many paradoxes when trying to escape our problems. The more we run, the more we are confronted with parts of ourselves we don’t like. With such eloquence describing the state of mental health amid a very isolating pandemic, Georgia says that any progress is positive when it comes to music opening up the dialogue. “I heard recently that Sony ATV plans to subsidize mental health support for all their writers and producers. Action like that makes me excited,” she said. “I think the biggest thing the music industry needs to realize is that all people, no matter what their part in the industry is, can work at a higher level and live a healthier life if mental health is prioritized. There is an absurd misconception that pain creates art. It is resilience and a supportive community that creates art out of pain.”
Georgia and Caleb again collaborate with Tove Lo on Space Island for the track, “I Keep,” almost six years after their last team-up. “Tove is one of our closest friends, and we’ve been through a lot of things together since we first met. It is always the most fun to collaborate with your friends, especially when you are massive fans of what they create. This song also came from imagining what it would be like to be a moth that lives and dies by a porch light, and I knew Tove would get it,” she laughed.
With “Gaslight” being a solid contender for fan-favorite on Space Island with its intimate and sleek feel, Georgia says it’s while writing about heartache isn’t always easy, it does get “easier” to trust the fluctuations of life. “I have gathered more language, which helps me express myself more. I didn’t even know what gaslighting was until three years ago,” she said of the process. “I think it gets easier to trust the ups and downs of life as you get on and you move past obstacles and find your feet again. That makes me feel inspired to write about intimate things. Not only as a reminder to myself that all things pass but to anyone that listens to our music.”
As Space Island moves through space-age psychedelia alongside layered dimensions of isolation and heartache, Georgia says the track “Days Are Passing” is “absolutely” a product of life in lockdown. “I think the pandemic has made us much more convicted telling our stories of dealing with grief,” she said of the “surreal” experience. “Whatever this pandemic has been to any one of us, it has been filled with loss. No one has escaped the anxiety and no one has escaped grief. It made us so sure that we should tell it all honestly, no matter how scary sharing those personal parts of our lives is.”
During the span of their career, BROODS has released three critically acclaimed albums and collectively amassed more than one billion streams. With numerous television appearances on Late Night with Seth Meyers and The Late Late Show with James Corden, as well as sharing the stage with Taylor Swift, Ellie Goulding, Sam Smith, Haim, Tove Lo, Two Door Cinema Club, and CHVRCHES, the pair are ready to hit the road for a tour this spring, covering Australia, New Zealand and the U.S. Georgia says she and her brother are excited to play the whole album live for fans. “We can’t wait to share these songs live and bring the world we’ve built to our live shows.”
For more on the Broods, visit their official website and keep it locked to PopCulture.com for more from your favorite indie artists.
