Consisting of sibling duo Georgia and Caleb Nott, Broods exploded upon the indie pop music scene two and a half years ago with the release of their single “Bridges”, which was three minutes of pure electropop exceptionality that caught the attention of many and led to a collaboration with Troye Sivan. Their self-titled EP and debut album Evergreen continued their surmounting momentum; they proved the scope of their musical talent, Caleb with his superb production, Georgia with her poignant vocals able to embody any emotion, and most of all, both of them with their honest, real-life, vulnerable lyrics. Their sophomore album, Conscious, released recently on Friday, June 24, finds them growing as artists and venturing into new creative directions. Whereas Broods and Evergreen were more introspective, airy and ethereal, Conscious is grittier, brasher and ten times more confident, while still retaining all the bleeding honesty of their previous work.

Free

This intense, dark and unabashed track instantly sets Conscious apart from their debut album Evergreen, its fierceness working both as the lead single and introductory track. Electronic beats in the background contribute to the sleek edginess. The synth-heavy chorus is reminiscent to that of Taylor Swift’s “Out of The Woods”, but wordier.

Favorite lyric: “Hoping for more, and wishing for less/ When I didn’t care was when I did best”

We Had Everything

An upbeat, relatable song, the runaway-type chorus is one of the most memorable on the album. “We were young/ we were proud/ we were promising”, Georgia sings, evoking visions and memories of youth. The production on the verses is somewhat formulaic, but it’s saved by its exceptional lyrics and the rush of the chorus. The bridge is more hushed, with the echoing “I didn’t mean it” in the background as a nice touch.

Favorite Lyric: “I turned you into a secret to memorize alone/ To justify my behavior, define who I’ve become”

Are You Home

It has interesting production, different from anything they’ve done before. It’s really rhythmic in the verses and gives me a Selena Gomez “Come & Get It” dancey type feel. I'm not really feeling the melody of the chorus, but the lyrical shift from “I don’t wanna fight” to “I just wanna fight” is genius.

Favorite Lyric: “You’ve been drinking/ And I’m thinking/ Are we sinking?”

Heartlines

A co-write with Lorde, her influence shines through prominently in lyrics such as “Dressing in black you're around for the weekend", in the thumping, minor-tone verse melody, and in the grandiose, live-free, liberation chorus. It has some of the best lyrics on the whole album...I'm so glad this is their next single.

Favorite Lyric: “We could fool the datelines/ We could jump the state lines”

Hold The Line

Simple and slower on the surface, but actually one of the most brilliantly textured tracks, with echoing vocal effects on the repeating “Hold the line”. Its natural and organic honesty connects with listeners and makes it all the more endearing. The bridge starts off with Georgia’s vocals and layers up, giving an otherworldly feeling that is similar to the songs “Evergreen” or “Superstar” from their debut album.

Favorite Lyric: “Cut clean, relieve me/ Let free, the vein of my life”

Freak Of Nature

A piano-based ballad, this song is a collaboration with Tove Lo, featuring her vocals and co-write. It has one of the most touching themes on the whole album, being about empowerment despite mental illness. The production creates a tide of emotions, building up from a solo piano to rich instrumentation accompanied by booming drums. The bridge courses through you, with a climax that doesn’t fail, where Tove’s and Georgia’s vocals work together to elicit a tsunami of feeling.

Favorite Lyric: “Dancing scars from long nights/ I’ve been bruised by your light”

All Of Your Glory

The most subdued song on the record, it’s subtlety works completely in their favor for this track and for the album as a whole. This reminds me of gentle, longing nights with someone you love, almost lullaby sounding--but that's what makes it so entrancing, as Georgia’s aching vocals and lyrics take center stage.

Favorite Lyric: “I want you in all of your glory”

Recovery

One of my instant favorites, the chorus is the most addictive thing ever. It’s explosive, upbeat, fiery, well-written and sends you to the stars without being generic, and the verses, backed with lush hand-claps, have enough rhythm to carry their own, engaging you and pulling you in through their raw, yearning, quicksand honesty. In the best bridge of the album, all instrumentation stops and Georgia’s soaring, impassioned pleads shoot into you through your soul.

Favorite Lyric: “You’re drinking up a cure now, forget what you have seen/ I sit here analyzing what the hell is wrong with me”

Couldn't Believe

I loved this joyous anthem the instant I heard it, when it was released ahead of time as an album sampler. This is about the feeling of finding the one (for Georgia, it was about when she got engaged)...and the beautiful dreamlike disbelief you feel in the moment. The production is gold, kind of like an elevated version of Evergreen, filled with synths and interspersed with an ecstatic “uh-uh” in the chorus.

Favorite Lyric: “We hid under blankets of ignorance”

Full Blown Love

This song is cute, but not memorable. It’s about the honeymoon, excitatory stage of a romance. Carefree verses alternate between a production-heavy chorus. The melody and production don't feel original. It’s a shame, because it has great lyrics. But I do believe it can grow on me.

Favorite Lyric: “All that I knew then/ Fades to oblivion”

Worth The Fight

Another one of my favorites, “Worth The Fight” is yearning, emotive, and captivating. It’s a midtempo, rhythmic ballad, and you can really feel Georgia emptying out her emotions. There’s an amazing gradual build-up throughout, slowly adding more vocal and production elements, such as background “oh”s and the “I won’t let you down”.

Favorite Lyric: “A cavern for a body/ The deeper, darker kind/ For all I hear are echoes/ Repeat inside my mind”

Bedroom Door

This feels like home and true love and fuzziness, while “Couldn’t Believe” was about love at the peak of its euphoria, “Bedroom Door” comes from a different place, from the steady, heartfelt, committed love afterwards. It’s relatively simple, with a slower melody and drum instrumentation. The bridge brings to the center the understated eagerness and urgency. The song’s comforting atmosphere reminds me a bit of “Four Walls”, one of the best songs from their debut.

Favorite Lyric: “So shut up the bedroom door/ And shut out the world some more”

Conscious

It opens with a haunting verse, as though from a trance, but then it transitions into the most explosive chorus on the entire record. It comes across like an eruption. This is a big, big song and closes the album with a bang. The distorted, echoing vocal effect on “wake me up and keep me conscious” gives me chills. After the second chorus, there’s a brief, abrupt pause, followed by a cascade of mesmerizing, crashing production.