BEST NEW INDIE: BROODS - PEACH

Everything is just "Peach"-y on Broods new single for Island Records Australia.

Listening to the brand-new single from New Zealand brother-and-sister duo Broods, you'd think that Caleb and Georgia Nott's life in New Zealand is a walk on the beach. "Peach" sounds like endless expanses of white sand beaches and warm breezes, where there's always a rainbow in the air and everybody's always smiling.

BROODS - PEACH

Listen a little closer to "Peach"'s lyrics and you might be surprised to hear a much more somber and aloof message on display.

"Love the peace when I feel alone
It's a part of me that I never run from
Black and white, playing clean surround
Feet on the ground, but I hate it down there."

Pop music is generally more optimistic, afraid to look at or acknowledge the shadows. It's sentiment isn't that unfamiliar, though. It IS easier to appreciate things from a distance, at times. A bit of distance lets you see the forest through the trees, appreciating small details that might be overwhelming in daily life. We Are: The Guard are reminded of a line from The Postal Services' "Such Great Heights," "everything looks perfect from far away." Like The Postal Service, Broods are reluctant to "come down now," preferring to stay in the rarefied air.

And who can blame them, if it yields such miraculous tropical riddims and aura-like synth melodies. "Peach" was co-written and produced by Nashville's Tommy English, who's previously worked with up-and-coming Indie Pop artists like BØRNS and Kacey Musgraves. English is adept at summoning the sunshine from all of his collaborators, even when they're slightly misanthropic. He must be a born optimist, seeing the good in every situation. He's a perfect fit for the newly-revamped Broods sounds.

Broods are actually optimists, themselves, even if they're also realists. "Peach" is the sound of psychological struggle, of turning negatives into positives and making the best of things. Speaking on the origins of "Peach," Broods say, “As artists, you feel things at a much more extreme level than people who probably don’t spend most of their time inside their own heads. “Peach" is about feeling all over the place all the time, and then celebrating those moments when everything feels awesome.”

"Peach" is the newest single from Broods' upcoming third LP, due out in early 2019. It's a tasty bit of summery pop for the Dog Days Of Summer. Let it bring a smile and a cool breeze for these hot days, and let it become a warm memory when the album drops proper.

J. Simpson occupies the intersection between criticism, creativity, and academia. Based out of Portland, Or., he is the author of Forestpunk, an online journal/brand studying the traces of horror, supernatural, and the occult through music, fashion and culture. He plays in the dreamfolk band Meta-Pinnacle with his partner Lily H. Valentine, with whom he also co-founded Bitstar Productions, a visual arts collective focused on elevating Pop Culture to High Art.