INTERVIEW: New Zealand Sibling Duo BROODS Invites You To Visit Space Island. Promise An Emotional and Spiritual Trip

When life hands you lemons, you make lemonade and that’s exactly what siblings Georgia and Caleb Nott, A.K.A. BROODS, did. Except instead of lemons, it was heartbreak and instead of lemonade it was an album titled Space Island. The album marks the New Zealand duo’s fourth album and comes from a vulnerable place for Georgia who provides lead vocals for the group. Following a difficult divorce, Georgia found solace in songwriting and creating an emotional sonic landscape with the help of her brother. The result is a 10-song journey through heartbreak and self-discovery that includes a feature from Swedish singer-songwriter Tove Lo on “I Keep” and comes alongside a tour announcement in support of the latest release. Luckily, amid all the excitement, All Access got the opportunity to hang with the sister and brother duo to get an inside look to the creation of the new album, what a real world Space Island would be like, what they miss most about music before technology became so prevalent and so much more. Book your ticket and take a journey to Space Island by checking out the full interview below:

ALL ACCESS [Austin]: Looking back to the beginning, was there a moment where you fell in love with music and/or remember wanting to make a career out of it? How did the official birth of BROODS come to be?

BROODS: I know it sounds a bit corny, but there wasn’t ever really a time in either of our lives when music hasn’t been a focal point. We saw our parents playing music from early on as little scream singing babies and we were always dancing and playing with instruments. The piano was an endless source of excitement. Bless our mother who must have had the patience of a saint as two toddlers smashed the keys for hours. BROODS came about through meeting Joel Little, our first producer and Ashley Page, our first manager, as teenagers in a band competition. We got offered a management contract and started working on the first EP. We released our first song, “Bridges” on SoundCloud and everything just popped off from there. We watched the number of plays reach a million really fast which was surreal! A couple of months later we were on a plane going to LA for the first time to sign a record deal.

AA: Working with siblings, as you two do in BROODS, can have its pros and cons. How do you approach creative differences? What’s your favorite part of making music with your family? What’s the most challenging aspect?

B: I guess we’ve just had to learn as we go. It was such a whirlwind at the beginning, we both found it hard for different reasons. I’m not sure either of us would’ve stuck with it for this long without the other. It’s special for so many reasons. Sharing this experience has made our friendship way stronger. We also hold each other accountable in a way that I’m not sure anyone but a sibling could. 

AA: The new album, Space Island marks BROODS’ fourth album – how did you approach this album differently than maybe the other (3)? The same? What’s the biggest thing you learned about yourself in making this new album?

B: This has been our favorite album to create. For so many reasons but I think the biggest reason is that we have experience. So much more than with other records. The record comes from a time in our lives when we had to do a lot of work on ourselves and learn a lot of new and hard lessons. We also went into the process of making it intentionally only focusing on the step we were on and not getting too far ahead of ourselves. When we were writing, we were only thinking about what we wanted to express. When we were building the production we were only thinking about what sonic experiments would be exciting and fun to try. When we were building the visual world and making the videos, we really lived on ‘Space Island’. In the past, thinking about releases and radio and streaming, has held us back so much. This time we were really present and it made the music, and everything we’ve made to go with it, more honest and fearless I think.

AA: The album follows a difficult time in your life, Georgia and the album itself spans a variety of emotions. Over the years, has it gotten easier to be vulnerable in your music? Which song(s) on the album are most anxious for the world to hear? What’s the story behind it?

B: I think it’s become easier for me to write from that place. It’s still really scary sharing it though. I was honestly the most nervous to share “Like A Woman.” Maybe because I felt so invested in that song and it was really important to me in the process of grieving my marriage, but I cried a lot around the “Like A Woman” release date. This whole record is extremely emotional for me to share though. Maybe it’s masochism or maybe I just wanted to be as honest as my favorite artists have been. I wanted to make art that would hold people and comfort people the way my favorite albums have done for me.

AA: The album is called Space Island and the first song is called “Goodbye World, Hello Space Island.” If Space Island was a real place where would it be: 

B: In a parallel universe that you get to through a portal in your third eye.

AA: What would be its:

• National Song: “Heartbreak” by BROODS (hahaha)

• National Bird: A giant kereru the size of an elephant that breathes fire but is always drunk on fermented berries so you’re usually all good to give it a snuggle as long as you respect it.

• Colors and/or Symbols In Its Flag: Black with an extremely small orange circle in the centre.

• Climate: Tropical in some places, snowing all the time in other places and there would be a lot of volcanoes to watch out for.

• Population Size: 1

• Biggest Export: Tears and songs

• Biggest Import: Tissues, weed and stationary.

AA: Having been in the industry for a while now, there’s been a massive amount of change in even the past few years with streaming and social media and now with NFTs and other technology that seems to be evolving every day. What are you most excited about in the future of music & technology? What do you miss most about the days when music and talent was more of the focus than numbers and viral moments? 

B: I think I miss the live recording. I like songs that don’t follow a metronome. I miss imperfection and mistakes. What excites me is the fact that we can access so much more music (if you have the patience to explore for hours).

AA: You guys tweeted about how you were “daydreaming of playing live music again” and know you had to cancel the Beach Ball tour but recently announced your North American tour. How are you going into this new tour differently than maybe past ones considering live music and touring has been nearly nonexistent the past few years?

B: We are trying to prepare for any outcome. It’s hard and confusing and we’ve really learnt how important the build up to a tour is for our sanity. It’s testing but I know that all artists and bands are feeling it and that helps us to not feel it as a personal failure.

AA: If you could headline one music festival or event, which would it be and why?

B: Osheaga. It has the best catering.

AA: If you could only listen to (5) artists for the rest of your life, who would they be?

B: Solange, Ricky Eat Acid, Sinn Sissamouth, Gorillaz and Tiny Ruins.

AA: With the release of the Space Island album and tour announcement, is there anything else fans can expect in 2022?

B: Another year of confusion and growth? Hahaha! From us, however, some wholesome content to keep you feeling warm and fuzzy and emotional.

A huge congratulations to BROODS on the release of their fourth album Space Island and a big thank you for hanging for this latest All Access interview. Stay up to date with the talented sibling duo via the links below:

Apple Music | Facebook | Instagram | Spotify | Website | YouTube