A Quick Chat with Brodie
‘Flutter.’ feels like a visceral response to cultural and emotional turbulence. Can you tell us more about the "nauseous cultural inertia" that inspired the track, and how you approached capturing that sonically?
I've fortunately/unfortunately been consuming a fair bit of political news in the past year and reading the AI tea leaves and that alone generates some discombobulation. The synths are chopped and repitched, the drums punch and disappear, the vocals in the verses are terse. Everything is choppy like scrolling TikTok. The chords have this sense of longing and melancholy which I liked.
You mentioned wanting “as many voices on the track as possible” for the chorus. What drew you to that choral arrangement, and how did you go about building it?
It's funny recording a choir that could be 12-15 parts but they're all your voice. Very 2025. The harmonies are pretty tight, mostly Major 2nds and 3rds. I hadn't written a part like that before and I liked the newness of it. A bit of a 'drink from the digital fire hose' approach. That information overload theme again.
The outro of ‘Flutter.’ offers a sense of escapism and hope—what does hope sound like to you in the 2020s, and how did you translate that into the production?
This is a bit of a touch grass moment I guess. I grew up in and currently live basically in mountains so there's an ecology element to that escapism. Escape in relationships. Tying the greenery to the capital lawns in the first verse... there's this sense of danger but also opportunity and a way to move through this current moment.
You’ve been producing and mixing for other artists recently—how has that shaped your own sound and perspective going into this new music?
Producing for other artists you learn so much - would recommend to any creatives that are that way inclined. The speed of sessions and collaboration really pushes you. 100% brain capacity when it's going. Mixing I've also unfortunately fell in love with, so if I was happy putting a stamp on other records I could do the same with mine. Working for others also reminded me that the passion project is always going to win. You gotta bet on your ideas.
You’ve spoken about wanting to move past the “navel-gazing nihilism” of the 2010s. What are some of the new themes or values you’re embracing in your work now?
I've always been tapped into science and utopia and I love music that's inwards-looking but I don't see a lot of music that gets nerdy like that that find mass appeal. Trying to find a balance with writing recently to have lyrics not feel 'explain-y' about topical issues. Like; give the information don't necessarily present a strong opinion on it. Dig deeper emotionally, pano-vision 8k perspective, simultaneously more niche and general. Maybe bring the skit back, who knows. I'm writing right now so open to ideas.
With ‘Flutter.’ and your recent releases, it feels like you're constructing a very deliberate sonic and thematic world. What role does environment—both digital and physical—play in shaping your sound?
You know a couple days ago I was privy to snow capped mountains, a 4 degree morning moon and a rainbow. You kinda wanna make songs sound like that. Or you hope that input balances out the amount of technology and software that crowds your thoughts in record-making. The mastery of the technical should allow you to just make the thing impulsively. I also gravitate towards headphone records, so cerebral being the default you need to breathe in the world. Fictional jet-setting, within constructing quasi-autobiographical characters. Some artists become 'touring artists' to see the world. I like that. It's a dream, but a worthy one.