by Michele Zipkin
Broods (photo credit, Stephen Tilley)
Auckland-based brother-sister duo Georgia and Caleb Nott, known in the alt-indie world as Broods, are making some major headway in their very young age (as a band and as individuals.) With a newly released self-titled EP, a New Zealand chart-topping single and a US tour under their belt, these siblings are swiftly catapulting themselves into the limelight, leaving indelible impressions on Oceania and American audiences alike.
It can be a bit jolting to learn that thousands upon thousands of people as far as the other side of the globe are listening to a song that you wrote. This phenomenon can serve as a pretty stark wake up call indicating that this listenership marks only the beginning of great things to come. Georgia, one half of the sibling partnership of Broods, can attest to that.
“It’s amazing that people are listening to [“Bridges”] on the other side of the world. When you’re writing in your room, you don’t really register that that could be the situation later on. It’s so weird, but it’s amazing,” she says.
Like most bands, the formation of Broods came about fairly organically. Georgia and Caleb did not plan their eventual collaboration and steady rise to stardom, but their duel endeavor came to be rather naturally, as the two come from a musical family and grew up surrounded by music. “We gravitated toward making music together because we were in the same household. So it started when we were both young, and just kept going until it formed this [band,]” Georgia says.
The name of the band is a double entendre, signifying the kinship of the two musicians as well as the overarching somberness and introspection in their music, mainly lyrically, but a bit instrumentally despite the uptempo backbone to most of their songs. Broods’ self-titled six-song EP, which houses the hit song “Bridges”, was received with open arms both in New Zealand and the US. This mini record showcases a solid stand up debut effort, boasting tracks built on synthesized beats, pop-driven melodies and poetic, story-based lyrics.
For a frame of reference in genre, hints of influence from Florence and the Machine, London Grammar, or on a smaller but no less important scale, the electro-pop band Haerts can be heard in Georgia and Caleb’s music. However, the duo has been cultivating a style of their own. Most every aspect of being a band- writing, producing and performing as well as touring- has been a kind of experimentation for Georgia and Caleb, in which they continually learn something new about themselves and each other.
“I’ve always been a lyrics and melodies person, and I care about what I’m saying how I’m saying it. Caleb’s more about production and how he’s represented in song form. But as we’re going on, we’re changing it up a bit. We’re still experimenting and challenging ourselves,” Georgia says.
Not only has Broods dulled out a debut EP and a music video in the last few months, but they have also embarked on their first US tour. Playing in front of American crowds was a new, exhilarating experience.
“It was crazy awesome- we were blown away by all these places that we haven’t been before. American crowds can get very excited,” Georgia says. “When we played the show in LA it was such a good welcome into the country.”
The two kindred artists, so to speak, had the pleasure of touring with another brood-of-a-band perhaps well known to those with their ear to the under-the-radar rock circuit- HAIM. Caleb and Georgia had a blast touring with the LA-based trio of sisters as they swapped stories of sibling solidarity while spending endless hours together touring and making music.
“Every time you play a show with somebody else you get to learn from their performances and see how they capture a crowd. We definitely learned a lot from them,” Georgia says. Both bands also bonded over the challenges of touring for extended periods of time and constantly being around each other.
“It was good to see that [HAIM] was still like that after such a long time of touring together. That’s what Caleb and I aim for- to be close and supportive of each other, even if we’ve been staring at each other for 24 hours on a bus…”
Another semi startling phenomenon that Georgia and Caleb have encountered in their path toward musical fame is making a music video. They have a beautiful video for “Bridges”, and it seems like more will be in the works. “It’s pretty crazy to see who has access to our song. It’s like a little movie with our song in the background. It’s strange, it makes the next level seem real- we have a music video!”
But with their glowing reception, upcoming record and steady batch of performances in their native country and beyond, the New Zealander brother and sister have still managed to stay true to their music and to themselves. “It hasn’t gotten to a point where it feels unnatural. We’ve stayed ourselves, but we still get to live our dream, basically.”
Catch the duo on Saturday night at Kung Fu Necktie in Philadelphia
