★★★★☆

After the rise of New Zealander Lorde in the world of American mainstream music last year, more young Kiwis are making their marks, with 19-year-old Georgia and 21-year-old Caleb Nott, a brother-sister band called Broods, just releasing their debut album, “Evergreen.”

Georgia is the duo’s main vocalist, while Caleb works production and backing vocals. It is no coincidence that their creative consultant is Joel Little, who helped guide Lorde’s breakthrough album, “Pure Heroine,” to success at this time last year. Every song is written by this trio and produced by Caleb Nott and Little as well.

With a trance-like production, textured vocals and generally sad themes, the songs in “Evergreen” are not like the catchy types one would hear while listening to the radio in the car. These tracks involve powerful and distinctive female vocals and heavy, yet simple production that sounds more indie than pop, but that utilizes modern electronic beats and synths.

This is the type of music that will grow on the listener as one learns to appreciate the duo’s more subtle differences and deeply emotional lyrics. They are most reminiscent of up-and-coming singer-songwriter Banks, who released her own debut album just weeks ago, which provides a similar sound to Georgia’s vocals and Caleb’s production. The increasing exposure of these artists represents the rise of the indie-pop genre.

“Bridges” is the clear standout track. It first helped Broods gain exposure in the United States when it was featured as the iTunes free single of the week back in February, and it has gained limited airplay circulation since then. The song boldly declares the duo is “burning all the bridges down/watching it go up in flames” in the catchiest chorus on the album. With its powerful vocals and production, “Bridges” is a great introductory track to the sound Broods provides on the rest of the album.

“Mother & Father” is another memorable song that immediately commands attention with its rhythmically thumping drums. In it, the Notts describe their experience moving out from their parents’ home. This sets the stage for the somewhat dark and lonely theme of the album, but it can actually get the listeners singing as Georgia softly repeats the phrase “I don’t want to wake up lonely.” Nine of the 11 songs on the album contain similarly dark themes, yet for the most part they retain an upbeat sound.

For this reason, some of the slower songs such as “Medicine” and “Evergreen” are more forgettable. Since the lyrics of every single song on “Evergreen” are powerful in their own way, these mellower songs end up feeling like downers as melancholy tunes swallow up the meaning of the words.

However, the band masters the slow effect on “Four Walls” — my personal favorite — which fervently describes trying to make someone love you back. It provides a positive, though uncertain message, that “those four walls [for] now are home.” The layered production and vocals combine perfectly.

Other standout tracks include “Everytime” and “L.A.F.” “Everytime’s” energetic spirit is only paralleled by that of “Bridges.” It incorporates the EDM genre in its production, and Georgia’s vocals alternate between trance-like build-ups and frantic declarations that “every time is the last time” in the chorus. “L.A.F” is probably the most fun and positive song on the album, which describes going out with friends and being carefree.

The album does a great job showcasing the maturity of the Notts’ musical skills and emotions in the songwriting of each individual track. Many songs stand out, although a few others blend together and leave one questioning what the words are trying to say.

The Notts are still very young, so the overall content is impressive for their age, but one thing their album does not provide is a cohesive message, continuous theme or even a clear progression from one track to the next. Instead, it feels more like a collection of 11 songs sold together, so the themes definitely could have been developed a bit more.

The songs do provide a deep insight into the highs and lows of these siblings’ lives, but they do not succeed in connecting to any overarching meaning. Nevertheless, any student at Georgetown can relate to the idea that the life of a teenager involves many ups and downs and often leaves us very confused, so in this sense the disconnect is actually very real.

In any case, these siblings clearly have the musical talent to justify the buzz surrounding them. While this album is unlikely to give them a major breakthrough outside their native New Zealand, they are the type of band I expect will gain a devoting following — particularly in the age of the Internet, which means that we will probably be hearing a lot more of them as their sound and fanbase continue to develop.