Today was my first time discovering the ray of sunshine that is the band Broods. Broods is a brother and sister duo from New Zealand. They’ve released 3 previous studio albums before Space Island, but this is my first impression of them. So I can’t really compare this album to the sound of their others in this review.
My first introduction to this band and album was a live version of the song Gaslight that they released a few hours ago on their YouTube channel. And I was hooked. Georgia, the singer, she has a gorgeous voice that’s very light and airy. Kind of reminds me of the melancholy Phoebe Bridgers. Space Island is a chilled, indie, dream pop soundscape. I mean, when you live on a gorgeous island like New Zealand you really make best of the environment when you come out with well produced music like this. It’s almost par for the course that the closer you are to paradise the music becomes lighter. Like California surf rock for example. Or Australian indie pop.
Space Island talks about the themes of grief and the multifaceted layers about the feelings of grief, anger, sadness, despair. A bit of a crazy juxtaposition with the lovely wonderland of sounds you hear from this album. The central theme of grief stems from the fact that Georgia had just went through a divorce and she’s exploring those feelings on this album. So as much as Space Island brings upon a sunny disposition, it’s equally bringing in the shade. As clearly shown in songs such as Like A Woman with lyrics like –
I’ve come a long, long way
Broods – Like A Woman
With the things that you gave me
I appreciate everything you would do
And I felt so safe
In the bubble you made me
But I never felt like a woman to you
Broods says on their YouTube page that Space Island directly was inspired by 60s Sci-Fi B Movies, and composers like Les Baxter who was the innovator behind Exotica music (it’s a bit jazzy, funky, experimental). And I can absolutely see that inspiration. This album sounds very effortlessly low-fi in some respect. But the swirling synths, the sad guitars, and the fragile vocals are pouring out of the seams onto this record. I can only imagine that getting her thoughts and feelings out into Space Island alongside her brother Caleb was therapeutic for Georgia. And I respect her for doing this project during such a vulnerable time in her life.
All in all, while this album might not be totally perfect for my liking anyway, I think this was a wonderfully composed project. I’m very keen to check out their older albums and really dig into what they sounded like before. I’m sure I would have been able to give a more in-depth review if I had context from their older work to compare. But for going in blind, this album came to me at the right time when I needed a pep in my step. Gaslight and Days Are Passing are my two favorites on Space Island. And Gaslight really hit me deep in my feelings. When a band has the ability to touch your heart and soul then you know they’re doing something right.
I highly recommend you check out Space Island. It’s a really lovely listening experience. And just for fun, If I were to interpret more meanings from the album cover, I would say Georgia inside the glass coffin floating down stream somewhere isolated in New Zealand tells me that this is a rebirth for her and she feels a little alien to the whole process. But she’s letting the water, her emotions, carry her to where she needs to go. I’m such a fan of when the album covers mean something more than just a pretty picture. I’m also loving how the album opened and flowed right into the second song as if you were literally being transported through a time machine back to the 60s into this actual Space Island. Goodbye World, Hello Space Island was a pretty apt name for the opener. It’s saying goodbye to the world as she knew it, and is sucked right into Space Island to let her inner feelings come out and explore what this strange place has in store for her future. It might only be about half an hour long, but it’s a nice release from everyday life. A perfect escapism album.
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