ep review: broods ep, broods
With the Broods EP, Georgia and Caleb Nott prove – like so many before them – that something special happens when you make music with your sibling. Maybe it’s that thicker than water bond or maybe it’s the fact that if anyone can tell you off, it’s your family, but there is a harmony to be found in music made by siblings which separates itself from anything else.
As Broods, Georgia and Caleb are making music that glides through a sonic landscape of striking beats, lush vocals and gentle and touching lyrics. ‘Never Going To Change’ opens the release, and immediately we are greeted by Georgia’s voice, understated and breathy. ‘You’re pushing down on my shoulders and emptying my lungs. And in a moment I’m older, in a moment you’ve won’, sings Georgia over a slow, lingering melody – a taste of the raw honesty that will come pouring out of this EP. ‘Pretty Thing’ feels a little more influenced by the airy, electro sounds pervading our airways. Percussion mingles with synth to keep the beat, and Georgia and Caleb’s vocals meet in the middle to carry out the rousing hook together. Recent triple j Hit List player, ‘Bridges’ showcases Georgia’s vocal talent in its entirety – a piano is the only thing that accompanies her until a hook kicks in, full of overlapping sounds, all entirely danceable. ‘The beauty of this message is that it brings me closer to you’ is what we hear early on ‘Sleep Baby Sleep’, which illustrates the tenderness of the track. Sweet, but not saccharine, Georgia’s voice is again the centerpiece – weaving together an earnest ode to love that makes for a charming listen. ‘Taking You There’ brings simple guitar and a pulsing synth-laden beat together in a show of eclectic influences. The combination of these two styles may not always work out for the best, but it certainly does here. While the verses sound like they should be heard from a dimly lit stage in an intimate café, the hook wouldn’t be out of place on the dancefloor of some small laneway bar. ‘Coattails’ closes the album, with Georgia appropriately singing ‘oh, we’ll ride these coattails to the finish lines’. Her voice soars over a more traditional, but still lovely melody and leaves you wanting to press replay on the whole thing.
Produced by Joel Little, of Lorde’s Pure Heroine fame, the EP does indeed share similarities with the duo’s fellow New Zealander. But this impressive body of work is made all their own, with lyrics and melodies that will stay with you long after you listen and an intoxicating sense of peace that will guarantee you play this one on a quiet, rainy day.
