Review: Broods ‘Don’t Feed The Pop Monster’
Broods unveil their newest, most unpredictable era in their third album ‘Don’t Feed The Pop Monster’.
After being dropped by their record label in 2016, the duo appear unhinged by setbacks. What Broods could have taken as demoralising and dejecting, they instead basked in; sculpting their most weighty material to date.
The album cover sees siblings Caleb and Georgia Nott at the forefront; elegantly poised in dramatic ensembles. They sit amongst a background of wide-open, luscious, life sized lips and eery, sharp teeth. The lips give off an image of a long stage curtain, perhaps leading us to envision the fabrication and façade of the pop world and its aggressive hold on its members.
One thing is for sure; the New Zealand duo won’t let themselves get chewed up by any such ‘Monster’. “Our goal was to make songs that are true to us, without hiding behind any kind of façade,” says Georgia Nott.
The duo open intrepidly with ‘Sucker’. Tinged with a ‘Stranger Things’, 80’s undertone, the track instantly permits listeners to relish in Georgia’s kinetic vocals that glide beautifully alongside boisterous arrangements and instrumentation. Lyrically, ‘Sucker’ aligns perfectly with the message Broods constructs. That trends are meaningless and the power of each being in the world comes from authenticity and experimentation.
Further heightening their exuberance is one of my personal favourites in ‘Old Dog’. The track is compelling on another level, luring us into a holistically grungier, sleazier side of Broods. The track gives us a nostalgia for pop rock. Broods nonchalantly dismisses naysayers; particularly evident in the lyrics ‘I’m an old dog now/ I’m not here just to please/ Get that leash off of me’.
Broods don’t lose their touch at any point throughout the album. They cater to the sonic palette of all listeners as they also proficiently deliver moodier tracks with an equal amount of conviction and emotion.
“Everytime You Go” gives a snippet of Georgia’s fragility as she sings, “Oceans pouring from my eyes/ Every moment seems so slow/ Every time you go”. The song’s poetry like lyrics give us a fascinating insight into Georgia’s innermost feelings. The bridge “Is it good enough to know it’s enough?/ ‘Cause I need to know that you need my love,” is to be commended. Georgia speeds up the pace of her vocal to portray the franticness and fear of separation from a loved one. Equally as enticing in the track is the appearance of a slow, clock ticking-like sonic to also play into the perception of time going slowly.
A special mention goes to “Too Proud”, another marker of change for Broods. It serves as the first ever song to feature Caleb as a lead vocalist. The track has an anthemic quality, all thanks to Caleb’s impassioned, strong vocal presence. Despite the fortitude that rings through Caleb’s voice, he says, “It’s about a really hard time I went through, where I didn’t realize how down I’d been until I came out of it”. The track was penned in the Nicaraguan jungle and perfectly represents the synergy between the siblings, not only through the vocal balance they strike, but because of the environment that manifested the song. Georgia recalls, “I remember sitting behind him as he was recording the chorus, and being in tears but trying not to make any noise.”
Broods continually bring us further into their tornado of emotions in “Hospitalized” and “Everything Goes (Wow)”. The tracks are both sonically further up the continuum of sanguinity and cheeriness. Yet, as we delve into the substance of the songs, we see the full extent of the spectrum of emotions Broods possesses. The tracks deal with highly invasive, badgering thoughts of mortality and emotional accountability.
Of “Hospitalized”, Georgia explains “In Nicaragua, we were all talking about who had broken a bone, and I was saying how I’d never broken anything but kind of wanted to, just to see how it feels”. She adds, “That turned into this idea of wanting to get hurt so you can have something to blame your self-pity on. Like, ‘I’m sad—but I’ve got a reason, I promise!’” These tracks are perfect for late nights, and for those times when you’re pondering the most abstract thoughts.
Closing the album is “Life After”. After a turbulent journey through Broods’ world, they seal the album with a soothing, tranquil berceuse. The track serves as a graceful, flowy exit to the album, perfect for reflecting on the vortex of emotions Broods has just guided us through. A revitalising track, it serves as a flawlessly balanced way to add finality to the album.
Broods shows us through ‘Don’t Feed The Pop Monster’ their defiance and strength in cutting through the pop mould. According to Caleb, they’re “only now just getting started,” and we can’t wait to see what Broods has in store as they translate this journey onto the live stage.
Listen to ‘Don’t Feed The Pop Monster’ here.
Broods on tour
TUES MAY 21 – THE FORUM – MELBOURNE
WED MAY 22 – THEBARTON THEATRE – ADELAIDE
TUES MAY 28 – ENMORE THEATRE – SYDNEY
THURS MAY 30 – EATONS HILL HOTEL – BRISBANE
SAT JUNE 1 – METROPOLIS – FREMANTLE
TICKETS ON SALE 9AM MONDAY, FEBRUARY 4
https://www.livenation.com.au/artist/broods-tickets
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