Free (Broods song)
2016 single by Broods
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"Free" is a song by New Zealand indie pop duo Broods from their second studio album, Conscious (2016). It premiered via BBC Radio 1 on 30 March 2016 before being officially released to digital retailers via Capitol Records, Dryden Street, and Universal Music Australia on 1 April 2016 as the album's lead single.[1][2] The song was serviced to American modern rock radio on 12 April 2016 through Capitol Records as the duo's third North American single.[3]
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| "Free" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by Broods | ||||
| from the album Conscious | ||||
| Released | 1 April 2016 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:43 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Songwriters |
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| Producer | Joel Little | |||
| Broods singles chronology | ||||
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Composition
"Free" is a midtempo anthem about having the freedom to express oneself. The song was written by duo members Caleb and Georgia Nott alongside its producer, Joel Little. A synthwave song with industrial elements,[4] it features prominent synth instrumentation and a rhythmic backbeat evoking a war drum; industry professionals have described the production as "menacing and liberating" as well as more evolved than their previous songs.[5][6] Georgia Nott explained to Triple J that the song's thematic content arose out of a desire to produce "more mature" songs that deviate from the topic of love and address real issues in people's lives.[5]
Commercial reception
"Free" debuted at number 30 on the New Zealand Singles Chart dated 11 April 2016 and peaked at number 21.[7][8] It also debuted at number one on the New Zealand Artists chart ranking tracks performed by local artists.[9] In Australia, the song entered the ARIA Top 50 singles chart at number 35 on the chart dated 17 April 2016 and has since peaked at number 30.[10][11]
In the United States, "Free" entered the Billboard Hot Rock Songs chart at number 47 on the chart dated 23 April 2016, their second entry on the chart.[12] "Free" ranked as the most-added song on alternative radio for the week ending 16 April 2016, with 14 Mediabase-monitored stations.[13] Despite this, it did not reach the Billboard Alternative Songs chart ranking airplay on the format for another two weeks, whereupon it debuted at number 38 on the chart dated 7 May 2016. It has since peaked at 26.[14]
Music video
An accompanying music video was directed by Jessie Hill and premiered on 31 March 2016.[15]
Chart performance
| Chart (2016) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[11] | 30 |
| New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[8] | 21 |
| US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (Billboard)[12] | 47 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[16] | Platinum | 70,000‡ |
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[17] | Gold | 7,500* |
|
* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||
Release history
| Country | Date | Format | Label | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Worldwide | 1 April 2016 | Digital download | [2][18][19] | |
| United States | 12 April 2016 | Modern rock radio | Capitol | [3] |