Through innovative visuals and meaningful lyrics, The Brocks, stand out in a sea of dream chasers in the electronic music realm. First, a couple of adverts, then a collaboration with superstar DJ Kaskade would lead them to quite the breakout year. This summer is when we came to know about the Utah natives with their stunning video for ‘Going Nowhere.’ The band is closing out the year with a brand new single, ‘HLYWD’, and a clear path to a bright 2017. We got a chance to catch up with The Brocks just to find out what makes them tick, and what they have in store for their faithful listeners in the future.

You might need to make an early mark on your Bands To Watch list…

EQ: First of all, the readers of EQ Music Blog have just gotten to know you with your single “Going Nowhere” this summer. Can you tell us a little bit about how you guys came together?

The Brocks: Dane and Grant grew up writing and playing music together in Oregon, and that continues to be the foundation of The Brocks’ sound. After moving to Utah for college, they wanted to add people to form a band. After going through a lot of different members, two of them stuck (Christian and Morgan). The band started recording an album at the studio where Ryan works and he eventually joined the group.

EQ: Provo, Utah. it seems like to the untrained eye that would be a very unlikely hot bed for any form of popular music, yet has produced many popular acts such as Neon Trees, Imagine Dragons and even rockers The Used. How do you feel the Utah music scene influenced the music you produce today?

The Brocks: It’s always surprising to find so much talent in a relatively small town. But something about keeping it small keeps Provo a great place to start a band. There is a thriving music scene, a great music venue, and experienced producers/studio engineers that all work together to get bands ready for what’s out there.

EQ: Many people have given the advice that one should never work with family, though Dane and Grant being brothers breaks that rule. What has been the dynamic having siblings around? Is there any rivalry backstage?

The Brocks: Hahaha no on-stage fights so far. There really isn’t much friction between the Brock brothers.

EQ: Comparing your two most recent singles “Going Nowhere” and “HLYWD” there is a bit of a versatility that you guys have. You make us dance with one single, you make us think with another. Where do you find your core inspiration in writing? Is there a subject that really stands out to you that is core to the Brocks sound?

The Brocks: The lyrics of ‘Going Nowhere’ are a lot deeper and darker than the sound would lead you to believe, which we really like.  The production of ‘HLYWD’ definitely fits the nostalgic feel of the lyrics, though. Our origins are kind of in the folk and post-rock realms, which might sound weird because we are so electronic, but we want to bring the lyricism and nostalgia from those genres to ours.

EQ: Enough of the background stuff now, let’s get to the fun stuff! We can’t help but notice that you guys have been hammering out some great songs with superstar DJ Kaskade. How in the world did that come together? What kind of things have you learned from him that you can take with you in your future?

The Brocks: He was working on the score for “Under the Electric Sky” when he heard a demo of our track ‘Summer Nights’. He asked us if we’d want to collaborate on it and of course we said yes. After finishing that track we showed him a few more demos and he agreed to come onboard to co-produce the album. He’s helped us take the time to make sure we are getting it exactly right instead of rushing to push a song out just because we are stoked about it. You always want to put your best foot forward

EQ: Speaking of production, one can assume that you guys might be working on an album. What can you tell us about that? Where do you feel like it’s going sonically? Can we expect it anytime soon?

The Brocks: It sounds a lot like what we have released so far but has songs that dive deeper into both the indie-rock world and the electronic world. We’re really excited to show everyone what we’ve been working on.

EQ: In the latest single “HLYWD” you take us on a journey on how Hollywood fills our heads with the desires of the unattainable. How do you feel we can break that sad truth? What advice would you give our readers on how to accept their own uniqueness and not be swayed by Hollywood ideals?

The Brocks: Probably just create more and consume less. It really doesn’t matter what it is, getting out and making something yourself instead of sitting and consuming what other people make is really important.

EQ: The video for “Going Nowhere” is one of the most visually stunning pieces we’ve seen out of an indie band or artist in a while.  What can you tell us about how that concept came together? Can we expect any more videos out of the band soon?

The Brocks: Thanks! We worked with our good friend Nick Rush on the concept and he really took it and ran with it. We wanted something that was cool visually but also added another layer of meaning to the song.  He is a fantastic director and we are working with him again on the video for ‘HLYWD’.

EQ: with these two latest singles, it seems like The Brocks put on one heck of a show. Can we expect any touring plans in the future? If so, when and where?

The Brocks: We’re planning on touring a lot more this coming Summer. Right now we’re really trying to get our songs out there in preparation for that. We’ve actually already put a lot of hard work into our live show and we’re excited to get back out there.

EQ: A lot of your music has an underlying message that many can connect with. What do you feel is the ultimate meaning, feeling, or thought you want the listeners to get out of The Brocks music and why?

The Brocks: I don’t know if there is some sprawling underlying message for all of our music. Hopefully listening to it provides people with some kind of release that they can’t find anywhere else. It definitely does that for us.