Overview
With a freshly-released album and headline tour on the cards, Fiona Connor caught up with Caleb Nott, one half of electro-pop group Broods, to chat new music, the passion that drives their creativity and how they got to this moment.
With an unstoppable determination to grow and develop their authentic musical imprint it's exciting times for Caleb and Georgia Nott. Now based in LA and with no glass ceiling in sight, Broods have new music, an international tour and a fast growing fan base to celebrate. Two years since the commercial success of their debut album Evergreen, the duo have just released their second record, Conscious.
So far their first single 'Free' has created plenty of traction across the digital music world. Reaching almost 10 million streams worldwide, the hit has also made appearances throughout Australian, New Zealand and Billboard music charts. The brother-sister team have since performed live on The Late Late Show with James Corden showcasing Georgia's startling vocals and Caleb's complex production.
From the outside looking in, music had to be in their blood or otherwise in the Nelson water at the home where they grew up. Caleb and Georgia's parents were musically inclined and something just stuck. "We were both surrounded by it as kids. It wasn't until I was in high school that I really found that passion for it." After taking the odd guitar lesson but not sticking to it Caleb began teaching himself. It was in high school a passionate music teacher bought out the songwriter within him. Georgia on the other hand had been writing songs since she was 8-years-old. "It was pretty much the only thing she was ever going to do. In her head."
The pair went on to collaborate, writing together in bands during high school and things progressed. "Once we moved to Auckland and started working with Joel Little it came very easy to us. One of the first songs we ever wrote as the three of us made the EP… it was very easy and very natural." That song 'Pretty Thing' features Caleb's adept backing vocals and provides blissful harmony to his sister's raw, ear pleasing tones across the layered and upbeat electronica track.
Their first album Evergreen debuted at number 1 on the New Zealand Albums Chart and went on to receive a gold certification. That album was written in five weeks while Conscious was written over two years. "It's all about life experiences and what you go through as a young adult, this album especially. Some of it's about old experiences, some of it's about what happened over the last two years because it was such a long period of time that we wrote the album over, there's a lot of kind of experiences in there, compared to the first record."
Working with Joel Little off the back of his achievements with songstress Lorde meant Broods had a recognisable name by their side as they eased into their own acclamation. "Joel has had a huge influence on us, not only as musicians and writers but me as a producer. You can kind of say he taught us everything we know because he's been a huge mentor for us and also like a big brother. Writing with him is probably the safest place we feel and we write our best music with him. In this record we shaped our sound a little bit more and we were a lot truer to us."
Caleb and Georgia made the move to LA in a bid to expand not just their American exposure, but European audience also. "There's quite a contrast between living in LA and living in Auckland. We've been wanting to do that for a while and we can achieve so much more over here. It's really great. Writing with new people. We wrote with a bunch of new people on this record. It's amazing that we get to do what we love." Their latest album features collaborations with Lorde, Tove Lo and Alex Hope, all similarly youthful, exuberant creatives.
From a rad support act to a must-see headlining tour, Broods are on a path that has seen and is heading toward esteemed things. The siblings possess a sound that works, a passion that's strong and the potential to build and take their skill as far as until their hearts content. With an awareness to stay true to the music, a vow to remain chill, and the goal to one-day play Coachella, there are still milestones to be unturned but for the moment an opportunity to bask in how far they've come.
Broods play Auckland's Vector Arena on July 15 and Wellington's Shed 6 on July 17.