What The Fizz?
A new band made of established artists, FIZZ debuts with a fanciful album ripe with creativity and brilliance.
Photo @yourfavebandfizz
The band FIZZ formed as a collective in 2023 between friends and musicians dodie, Orla Gartland, Greta Isaac, and Martin Luke Brown. Self-compared to musical talents like Queen, ABBA, and Thomas the Tank Engine, the group’s debut album "The Secret to Life" was released on October 27th after a tantalizing summer of singles and social media hype. The album does not disappoint, fully living up to its eclectic promotional images and the band’s visions of joy, escapism, optimism, and love.
Celestial Harmonies
FIZZ is a maximalist fusion of genre and instrumentation. Influences from dreampop, 2000s alt-rock, and classic British pop emerge throughout the album. Heady drums and thrumming bass mix with airy vocals and a cappella to result in a psychedelic and dreamlike texture, from the titular "The Secret to Life" to "Strawberry Jam". Each song blends into the next so the seams between the songs disappear. The construction of this album is intentional to the point that its full effect is only reached when listening to it in order. Even to the very last detail in "The Grand Finale," the last notes reflect the chorus of "High in Brighton," the group’s first single. The result is a heavenly experience from masters of the craft.
Members of FIZZVILLE
Photo @yourfavebandfizz
Each member brings their personal styles to the collaboration. Orla Gartland, noted for her song "Why Am I Like This?" which featured in Netflix’s "Heartstopper," brings her affinity for bass notes and clear, rhythmic vocals to the song "Close One". Martin Luke Brown dominates "Rocket League" with a piano-laden, 1960s beach rock vibe before leading the verses of "Hell of a Ride" with emphasis on his scratched vocals above heart-beating drums. Greta Isaac brings a punk edge to songs like "As Good As It Gets", filled out by distortion and screeching guitar reminiscent of her solo work and its overwhelming energy. "You, Me, Lonely" is quintessential dodie: stripped-bare instruments supplemented by the ethereal harmonies of her friends. These songs are where each artist gets to take center stage, but their signature elements merge throughout to the benefit of the album.
Youth And All Its Glory
Truly youthful and full of all that life contains, this album balances sincerity with irreverent humor to explore the paradoxical feeling of being in your twenties. Fun and fancy, the album is itself a carnival, and each song, a funhouse mirror reflecting life back at us. FIZZ runs the gamut of all there is to experience, from the ecstatic heart to the anxious mind, so that we may understand the secret to life.
