BROODS Interview: "Our new album is the most self-realised musically."

New Zealand-born now LA-based brother/sister duo BROODS are marching very quickly towards the release of their third album, due February 1 next year. It comes off a kinda strange year for the duo, who've spent some time apart working on solo projects, before re-uniting and releasing said album's first single Peach, to much love and adoration from fans and critics alike.

They're in Perth tonight for a special one-off show at Ice Cream Factory (more info HERE) before the next album cycle begins next year, and we caught up them to find out how it's all going:

So I guess first up this year’s been a bit of a different one for you guys, both launching side projects in the lead-up to the release of Peach, was there any particular reason for it (we imagine a fair chunk of next year’s album had already been worked on to that point)?

We are always writing whether it be together or on our own. We both found ourselves naturally building these side projects and it felt like the right time to show the world. It allowed us to experiment a little more and we ended up coming back to making the third Broods record with a lot more perspective. We learnt to work without one another. But I think the biggest thing was we also realised how much we appreciate having one another in the studio.

And has that experience informed the new music you’re working on together again now?

I think it has. We had to learn to hold our own and it helped us come back more confident in our own abilities. This album (although thematically it's full of questions and doubt) is definitely the most self-realised musically.

The last couple of years have been big ones in terms of change for you both, moving to LA obviously being a big one, how is that influenced you guys firstly just as people, and then on your approach to music and songwriting?

I think it made us grow way faster and bigger than we expected. LA is such a beast and part of us was apprehensive about jumping into such a big pond but the amount of inspiring people that are constantly creating blows my mind. We have become a lot more active in our art since moving there. As for the songwriting, I think LA has effected it in a sense that you can hear how much weed we smoked making it haha. It feels a lot more calm musically. There aren't really any heavy aggressive angsty songs light conscious. Everything is a lot more playful in my opinion.

Can you tell us much about the new album, is Peach a little sign of things to come – just off one track it feels like location is a big player?

Thematically Peach is the perfect introduction. Keeping up with the highs and lows of our lives over the past few years is all we've really written about on this record. This record wasn't made from surface level unsettlement; it was made from a place of deeper turmoil. The currents one fights against when they find themselves growing much faster than anticipated.

I was watching an old vid we filmed with you guys way back in 2015 at Splendour, and despite being a fun little time capsule, it made me wonder if you guys have reflected much on your career so far? Obviously it’s still relatively early days in your career (we hope!), but it also feels like you’ve achieved so much in that short period of time?

It is bizarre to thinking of what we’ve done in comparison to what we thought we would. Being on the Taylor Swift tour was a very surreal experience. I think because she shot to fame when I was 15 and I listened to her as a teenager. It felt like some beautiful full circle poetry to share a stage with her.

In the same breath, however, it feels like the beginning for us. We have learnt a lot by being in this industry over the last five years and it finally feels like we are doing this the way we want to be. That’s all we could've really hoped for.

You’ve obviously got a show coming up very soon in Australia, before some time off I assume to finish the album – will we get a little taste of the album in Perth?

The album is all wrapped (which feels weird). There is always this strange limbo period where no one can touch the actual record. We’ve finished writing, producing, mixing and mastering and now we wait for the world to hear it on Feb 1st. But we will be playing a couple of tracks from it!

Looking much further ahead – you’ve got the album tour in the states next year, where do you see the Broods project growing over the next few years, or more importantly I guess, where do you want to take?

We have definitely had to learn to let go of our own expectations haha. The plan never goes to plan and we really have no control over anything apart from what we do. I guess the most important thing is that we believe what we’re saying up on stage and keep a genuine connection with our fans. That is the point for us.

Follow BROODS: FACEBOOK