Broods Makes Beautiful Mood Music

Broods

I'm a 44 year-old man, which means that I have a fairly good grasp of music from the last millennium,  But I have a music guru.  Every person over the age of 40 needs one to help keep them relevant.  Mine is a mother and yoga instructor half my age named Nikki.  Nikki is always making music recommendations to me which is great for my blog.

One of the artists she steered me towards was Broods, a brother and sister synthpop team from New Zealand.  I am glad she did.

I am reviewing their eponymous debut EP, "Broods".  Since my purchase of their  six-song EP, they have released their first full album.  But I have not acquired the album yet, so I will review the EP.

How do I describe Broods?  First of all, they have garnered much attention in the international scene, but back home in Aotearoa they are kings.  They share the same musical producer as fellow kiwi, Lorde.  There is a similar sound, but I much prefer Broods over their surly teen counterpart.

This music is atmospheric, moody, whispered, and slightly melancholic.  Definitely electronic, but less Depeche Mode and more trip hop.  They remind me quite a bit of Imogen Heap.  This is music designed to evoke feelings, and it does.  It takes a few listens to get into it.  But once you do, you move past Georgia Nott's breathy vocals and see some exquisite musical arrangements provided by sibling, Caleb Nott.

The EP starts out beautifully with "Never Gonna Change" with gentle synthesizers and staccato drumbeats that would make Massive Attack proud.  The second selection, "Pretty Thing" evokes Chvrches, and the best part is when brother and sister mirror the lyrics back and forth.  "Bridges" is the main single, and it is for a reason - a shimmering, bittersweet song with sad, wistful vocals with a vibrant, electronic pulse.  My favorite song is "Taking You There" which starts out with a simple acoustic guitar.  The song doesn't seem to quite fit the rest of the EP, which is perhaps why I like it so much.  It stirs something in me when I listen to it.

This is a great start for Broods.  There is not a bad song here.  I am eager to check their album.  Hey, you should, too!  Thanks to my music guru for suggesting this to me.  I, in turn, recommend it to you!