BROODS

The sibling act Broods surfaced in the post-Lorde 2010s era armed with a shadowy electronic pop aesthetic that propelled their debut full-length, the New Zealand chart-topping Evergreen, onto the international stage behind the platinum-certified cut "Mother & Father." On the 2016 successor Conscious the pair broadened their sonic palette and claimed a sweep at that year’s New Zealand Music Awards, securing Album of the Year, Best Group, and additional honors. Their 2019 set Don’t Feed the Pop Monster held a New Zealand Top Three placement, aided by the platinum single “Peaches.” With forward momentum in view, the duo turned to escapism for the Stint-helmed fourth album Space Island, which appeared in 2022.

Vocalist Georgia Nott and her older brother, multi-instrumentalist Caleb Nott, formed the core of Broods after growing up immersed in music and first performing together in childhood. Earlier they had belonged to the Peasants, the group that captured first place in a 2011 contest for intermediate- and high-school acts. Once that band dissolved, the siblings launched Broods and linked with producer Joel Little, who had judged the same competition. In October 2013, several months after Little’s work with fellow Aucklander Lorde drew notice, Broods posted “Bridges” to a file-sharing platform and soon secured major-label deals across multiple territories. The track received its official release the following January and climbed into New Zealand’s Top Ten.

A six-song, self-titled EP written by the Notts alongside Little, who also handled production, arrived at month’s end. It opened at number two on the New Zealand chart, trailing only Lorde’s Pure Heroine. Issued in the United States the next month—mere days after Lorde’s “Royals” captured the Grammy for Song of the Year—the EP entered the Billboard 200 at number 164. Evergreen, the group’s first album, followed in September 2014, topping the New Zealand ranking while reaching number 45 in the United States.

April 2016 brought “Free,” the initial single previewing the second album and again uniting the duo with Little. Conscious, their second number-one album in New Zealand, surfaced mid-year and included the Lorde-penned “Heartlines” plus a featured turn from Tove Lo. After prevailing at the 2016 New Zealand Music Awards, Broods supported Two Door Cinema Club and Tove Lo on their respective tours. Ahead of the third album they appeared on Flight Facilities’ “Stranded” and Whethan’s “Be Like You.” Don’t Feed the Pop Monster landed in February 2019 at number three in New Zealand; the duo marked its release with an international trek that opened in London.

Preparation for the fourth album prompted a call to Stint, whose résumé includes credits with MØ and Kesha. Among the 2021 singles that fed into the project were the Ladyhawke collaboration “Guilty Love” and the band’s own “Piece of My Mind.” Space Island ultimately revolved around Georgia’s recent divorce and the ensuing emotional recuperation.