A renewed sense of confidence is evident on Conscious—Broods’ highly anticipated sophomore album. Recorded at studios between LA and in the band’s native homeland of New Zealand, the album is an audacious step forward for the band. Produced by long-term collaborator Joel Little (Lorde, Ellie Goulding, Jarryd James), the band themselves, as well as production by Alex Hope (Troye Sivan), and Captain Cuts (Halsey, Tove Lo), the record is both bigger and bolder than anything the duo have done before. As evidenced by the record’s anthemic first single, “Free,” the newly emboldened duo have built on the restrained, textural pop of their debut and amped up the intensity.

When explaining the feelings behind her band’s sophomore album, Georgia Nott is quick to respond: “We wanted to control every aspect of it. That's kind of the reason we called our album Conscious. We're not asleep. We're not clueless. We're very conscious on what we want to achieve with this record. We're very conscious of what we want to do and what kind of impact we want to make. At the end of the day, it’s important to have a say over every aspect of your art. I get that other people will always have an opinion, but at the end of the day we have to make sure that everything that we do, everything that we present, is completely and utterly our choice.”

Since releasing their breakthrough debut album, Evergreen, in 2014, the brother-sister duo of Georgia and Caleb Nott—better known as Broods--spent the better part of two years on the road learning the ins and outs of what it means to be a band. For an act that was thrust into the international spotlight when both members were just barely out of school, the experience of playing big stages around the world had a powerful effect on the music they would choose to make next. It makes sense that when it came time to make a new album, assuming control would be a priority.