Conscious (Broods album)

Conscious is the second studio album recorded by New Zealand music duo Broods, released on 24 June 2016. It builds on the electropop sound established in their 2014 debut, Evergreen,[2][3] with elements of industrial[6][7] and R&B.[2] The album includes collaborations with Tove Lo and Lorde, and was preceded in April 2016 by the RMNZ Gold-certified single, "Free".

Conscious
Studio album by
Broods
Released24 June 2016 (2016-06-24)[1]
Genre
Length48:14
Label
Producer
Broods chronology
Evergreen
(2014)		 Conscious
(2016)		 Don't Feed the Pop Monster
(2019)
Singles from Conscious
  1. "Free"
    Released: 1 April 2016
  2. "Heartlines"
    Released: 16 January 2017

Upon release, Conscious was met with generally positive reviews and debuted at Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, on the New Zealand and Australian album charts.[8] In the US, the album charted lower than Evergreen on the Billboard 200 at 52 but reached career highs on the Rock and Alternative charts.[9]

Background and development

In August 2014, Broods released their debut album, which was produced entirely by Joel Little. It was preceded by the single "Mother & Father". The album received positive reviews and was successful in their home country of New Zealand, charting at number 1. After the album was released the duo embarked on a tour, which also visited the United States.[10] In April 2016, the duo opened for British singer-songwriter Ellie Goulding for select US dates on her Delirium World Tour.[11]

On April 18, the duo announced the Conscious tour and released the album artwork and track listing.

Singles

"Free" was released 1 April 2016 as the album's lead single.[12] It debuted at No. 30 on the New Zealand Singles Chart and has since reached a peak position of 21; it has also been certified Gold by Recorded Music NZ. The single is their highest-charting entry to date on the Australian Singles Chart at its peak of 30. "Free" impacted American modern rock (or alternative) radio on 12 April 2016 and serves as the duo's third official single in that territory.[13]

"Heartlines", co-written by Lorde, was also released as a promotional track on 10 June 2016.[14] It reached No. 3 on the New Zealand Heatseekers chart. Its music video was released on 29 July 2016.[15] The song was serviced to American hot adult contemporary radio on 16 January 2017 as the album's second official single.[16]

Other songs

The duo released "Couldn't Believe" to digital retailers on 20 May 2016 as the first promotional single to support pre-orders.[17] It peaked at number 4 on the New Zealand Heatseeker Singles chart and also charted at No. 81 in Australia.

Commercial performance

Conscious debuted at number one on the New Zealand Top 40 Albums Chart and stayed there for four weeks, becoming their second consecutive chart-topper, after 2014's Evergreen.[18] In Australia, the album entered the ARIA Top 100 Album Chart at a career-high position of 2, beaten out by The Getaway by the Red Hot Chili Peppers.[19]

In the United States, Conscious sold 7,000 units in its first week and debuted at career highs of 5 and 7 on the Top Alternative Albums and Top Rock Albums charts, respectively.[9] Conscious charted lower than its predecessor on the Billboard 200 (at No. 52) due to low streaming values but outsold Evergreen by twenty positions, reaching No. 25 on the Top Album Sales component chart.[20]

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?7.0/10[21]
Metacritic74/100[22]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[23]
DIY[24]
Exclaim!5/10[4]
PopMatters[25]

Pryor Stroud for PopMatters noted "Broods have concocted a record of marked consistency, one that commands attention from its first wail to its last syllable."[25]

Writing for Exclaim!, Tim Forster criticised the album's "failure to shake listeners awake and captivate them with memorable moments."[4]

Track listing

Track listing taken from iTunes.[26]

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Free"
3:43
2."We Had Everything"
  • G. Nott
  • C. Nott
  • J. Little
J. Little3:23
3."Are You Home"
Captain Cuts4:02
4."Heartlines"
  • J. Little
3:17
5."Hold the Line"
3:33
6."Freak of Nature" (featuring Tove Lo)
  • Hope
  • J. Little[a]
4:00
7."All of Your Glory"
  • G. Nott
  • C. Nott
Broods3:02
8."Recovery"
  • G. Nott
  • C. Nott
  • Hope
  • J. Little
  • J. Little
  • Hope[a]
3:58
9."Couldn't Believe"
  • G. Nott
  • C. Nott
  • J. Little
  • J. Little
  • Broods[a]
4:08
10."Full Blown Love"
  • G. Nott
  • C. Nott
  • J. Little
  • J. Little
3:30
11."Worth the Fight"
  • G. Nott
  • C. Nott
  • J. Little
  • Emmie Little
J. Little4:03
12."Bedroom Door"
  • G. Nott
  • C. Nott
  • J. Little
J. Little3:36
13."Conscious"
J. Little4:00
Total length:48:11

Charts

References
  1. "Conscious by Broods". iTunes Store (NZ). Retrieved 25 June 2016.
  2. Stroud, Pryor (1 July 2016). "Broods: Conscious". PopMatters. Retrieved 12 July 2016.
  3. Santos, Andrea Delos (27 June 2016). "Album Review: Broods – 'Conscious'". Outlet. Retrieved 12 July 2016.
  4. Forster, Tim (24 June 2016). "Broods - Conscious". Exclaim!. Retrieved 9 August 2016.
  5. Nail, Jonny; Nott, Georgia (24 June 2016). "Track by Track: Broods 'Conscious'". Rolling Stone Australia. Archived from the original on 27 June 2016. Retrieved 12 July 2016.
  6. Cusumano, Katherine (9 June 2016). "Brother-Sister Duo Broods Talk Lorde Collab and 'Conscious'". W. Retrieved 12 July 2016.
  7. Wehner, Cyclone (1 April 2016). "BROODS Chat Latest Single 'Free' & When We Can Expect A New Album". Music Feeds. Retrieved 12 April 2016.
  8. "Reviews for Conscious by Broods". Metacritic. Retrieved 12 July 2016.
  9. Rutherford, Kevin (6 July 2016). "The Avett Brothers Lead Rock, Alternative, Americana/Folk Albums Charts". Billboard. Retrieved 12 July 2016.
  10. Paytel, Payah. "BROODS announce North American tour dates and debut album 'Evergreen'". AXS. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
  11. "Ellie on Tour with Broods in the US". EllieGoulding.com. Archived from the original on 24 March 2016. Retrieved 8 July 2014.
  12. "Free - Single by Broods". iTunes Store (New Zealand). Archived from the original on 1 April 2016. Retrieved 1 April 2016.
  13. "Future Releases on Alternative Radio Stations". All Access Media Group. Archived from the original on 30 March 2016. Retrieved 30 March 2016.
  14. Lynch, Joe (10 June 2016). "Lorde Returns! Hear 'Heartlines,' the Song She Co-Wrote With Broods". Billboard. Retrieved 10 June 2016.
  15. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svZ666KgWqM
  16. "Hot/Modern/AC Future Releases". All Access Media Group. Archived from the original on December 10, 2016. Retrieved December 11, 2016.
  17. "BROODS on Twitter: "COULDN'T BELIEVE / 20 MAY / smarturl.it/Conscious". Twitter (US). Twitter Inc. Retrieved 18 May 2016.
  18. "Charts.nz – Broods – Conscious". Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 July 2016.
  19. Brandle, Lars (4 July 2016). "Drake, Red Hot Chili Peppers Hold Australia's Chart Crowns". Billboard. Retrieved 20 July 2016.
  20. "Top Album Sales". Billboard. 16 July 2016. Retrieved 20 July 2016.
  21. "Conscious by Broods reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved 16 February 2020.
  22. "Conscious by Broods Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved 16 February 2020.
  23. Conscious at AllMusic. Retrieved 16 February 2020.
  24. Shutler, Ali. "Broods - Conscious". DIY. Retrieved 16 February 2020.
  25. Stroud, Pryor. "Broods: Conscious". PopMatters. Retrieved 16 February 2020.
  26. "iTunes".
  27. "Australiancharts.com – Broods – Conscious". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2 July 2016.
  28. "Broods Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
  29. "Broods Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 6 July 2016.
  30. "Broods Chart History (Top Alternative Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 6 July 2016.
  31. "Broods Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 6 July 2016.
  32. "Top Selling Albums of 2016". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 25 December 2016.
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