New Zealand pop outfit Broods have returned with new single ‘Piece Of My Mind’, which they describe as the “opening fanfare” for their just-announced fourth album ‘Space Island’.
Though unmistakably a Broods song, the new track melds their signature pop style with psych-esque keys, warbling pad synths and dry yet catchy percussion. Produced by Carly Rae Jepsen and MØ collaborator Stint, the band explained in a press release that they “wanted to make it sound like you were on this kind of jet pack trip where everything is shifting, where you’re escaping to this unknown world called Space Island.”
Take a look at the film clip for ‘Piece Of My Mind’, directed by filmmaker Sam Kristofski and presented as the first ‘chapter’ of an expansive Space Island film, below:
Inspired by the cult classic B-movies of the ‘70s and ‘80s, Broods and Kristofski shot the ‘Piece Of My Mind’ video on 35mm and 16mm film, filming on location in the South Island of New Zealand. On the filming process, member Caleb Nott said: “We really just got to have fun and play.”
“We wanted to do something really special,” added vocalist Georgia Nott, “because we don’t know when people are going to be able to go to live shows next. So we wanted to create this world that people could come and visit from wherever they are.”
As for the track itself, Georgia said: “The song describes the many paradoxes we encounter when we try to escape our problems – the more we try to run away from our problems and ourselves, the more we are confronted with the aspects of each that we don’t like.
“‘Piece Of My Mind’ is the moment I start reasoning with myself at the crossroads – to figure out where I am, and what’s really at the heart of what I’m denying and trying to escape.”
‘Piece Of My Mind’ comes as Broods’ second release for 2021, following the single ‘Guilty Love’ – a collaboration with fellow Kiwi Ladyhawke – back in March. ‘Guilty Love’ also marked the first new material from Broods in two and a half years, following the 2019 release of their album ‘Don’t Feed The Pop Monster’.
A release date for ‘Space Island’ is yet to be locked in, though in a new interview with triple j’s Bryce Mills and Ebony Boadu, Georgia noted the band’s keenness to have it out sooner than later.
“This is really exciting for us to invite everybody into this world that we’ve been making for this past two years,” she said.
“Space Island is the place we went to do deal with our own losses and heartbreaks, but in a fantasy way that is playful… Because writing a whole album about grief, you need to balance it out. We are just really really excited to share how we’ve been going and what we’ve been feeling.”
In a post shared to their social media, Broods teased that ‘Space Island’ “will take you through the wild terrain of love and loss and then tuck you into bed and kiss you on the forehead.”
Welcome to Space Island!
Space Island, the album, will take you through the wild terrain of love and loss and then tuck you into bed and kiss you on the forehead.
Come with us along a three part short film through the world of Space Island. We are not alone in our isolation. pic.twitter.com/UW1iA9m1qd
— BROODS (@broodsmusic) September 1, 2021