Ever since Lorde's debut EP was released in late 2012, the pop music landscape in New Zealand (and the rest of the world, for that matter) was altered considerably. Emboldened by the success that Ella Yelich-O'Connor found with funky production work and powerful vocals, an ever-increasing number of artists have been coming out with new music that's not only unique, but carefully crafted as well and quality-ridden as well. The inspiration has worked wonders for the mainstream music world, and the creative risks that stars have been forced to take in order to stay relevant have added untold amounts of flavor to what would normally still be a very bland category of music. Fast-forward to the present day, and notice the now-stale scent of that news. In fact, the aforementioned paradigm shift has been touched on by pretty much every music magazine and blog out there, and, ubiquitous as it's become, what doesn't seem to be getting as much attention is the fact that, despite her seemingly destined success, Lorde could have never have sustained her stardom all on her own. If it wasn't for other, stellar acts from the same area rising to prominence quickly afterwards, the New Zealand pop music renaissance would have certainly slowed after its initially perceived takeoff. And with that in mind, we've an enormous responsibility to celebrate such acts as brother-sister duo BROODS who have played a very important role in building the NZ scene after the aforementioned O'Connor rose to prominence. With Caleb and Georgia Knott's (BROODS) hit single, "Bridges", NZ was afforded an extra step up in the pop realm, and while other, newer acts like Thomston may soon rise to challenge the duo for geographical supremacy, BROODS has made sure with their just-released debut album, Evergreen, that they're able to maintain the NZ torch for at least a little while longer. If you happened to be a fan of BROODS' self-titled EP, then you're in especial luck, because Evergreen is going to be right up your alley. Despite including only two songs from the EP on the album tracklist, the similarity in style between the two projects is impressive, and it's obvious that Caleb and Georgia both brought a very clear, creative, and attention-demanding vision with them far from the project's inception. Indeed, right from the onset of Evergreen, the two will have you hooked with the album's lead-off track, "Mother & Father", and even though the song has been out for a while now, none of the shine has worn off yet, and we suspect it may stay that way indefinitely. It's got a quiet energy that's hidden under layers of undulating synth textures, but the bones of the song are extremely powerful, and if there ever was pop music that got better with age, then this is probably it. "Everytime" is the next song on the list, and if you had any reservations about BROODS' new material on the album, then this is the song that will put those qualms to rest. It's always a drag when artists dazzle you with flashy singles and then try to fill out an album tracklist by including subpar work and hoping you wont notice, but with Evergreen, you won't have to worry about that whatsoever. Moving down the list, you'll come across tracks like "Sober", "Medicine", "Evergreen", and "Superstar", and you'll probably notice that most of them are a bit more toned down than you might have anticipated. This is where the album really comes into its own. As it turns out, BROODS is really good at putting together songs that pack a punch, but are still relatively understated on the surface. None of these tracks are going to try overwhelm you with massive drops or gritty breakdowns, but they seem to accelerate with some of the most effortless style we've seen in a long, long time. To be sure, BROODS definitely has some of the coolest music out right now, but because they don't really flaunt it with gaudy images or publication, the magnitude of what they've been able to accomplish only really hits you after the fact. With that in mind, then, it's only with one's second and third listens through the album that one will be able to truly appreciate what they're hearing. In fact, Evergreen just gets better and better as more time is spent with it, so let it run again and again if you're looking to cement it as a favorite. BROODS has been enjoying a lot of support prior to this album release, certainly, and the project itself will be greeted by a base of fans that is much more open-minded than the one that existed two years ago when Lorde's artistic aura came around. Of course, Lorde was and still is, to an extent, the poster child for this impressive NZ progress, but it would be a damn mistake to ignore BROODS influence as well. You could try to chalk their ascent up to good timing or shrewd marketing, but it's hard to get around the fact that Caleb and Georgia are extremely good at what they do, and even more difficult yet to posit that they're not here to stay far, far into the future. Evergreen is currently available for purchase in New Zealand and Australia, and will see itself released in the US and Canada on October 7th. Pre-order it on iTunes after perusing through our favorite tracks below.
BROODS