It has been an impressive 5 years since my last “Music You Need in Your Life” post. I apologize.
So let’s restart this series by introducing to you one of my new favorite bands: FIZZ. They are an independent “supergroup” specializing in chaotic, fun indie pop out of the UK. This group includes Orla Gartland, dodie, Greta Isaac, and Martin Luke Brown. You might have not heard of any of these artists, but they are all worth checking out on their own.
I started listening to Orla Gartland a few years ago before she released her first album. She creates incredible pop rock. Check out Zombie! or You’re Not Special, Babe to get her vibe.
Next, I came across her good friend dodie. You’ll see both of them in each other’s live performances and I assume they regularly record together. We actually saw dodie in concert and Orla was in her backing band. Her music is more chill, more acoustic-driven, and very lush with harmonies and overlaid strings and clarinet (also played by dodie). Listen to Hate Myself or Hot Mess.
Anyway, they all announced on their socials around June of 2023 that they formed a band called FIZZ. Soon after, they released their first single, High in Brighton:
Upbeat and a little messy, the song (like most of their music) also includes complex harmonies and fascinating instrumentation. Mixed in with these harmonies are also plenty of gang vocals that really pump up the energy of (almost) every track. Throughout this song and the rest of the album, each member gets to really showcase their vocal chops while the others provide lush backing harmonies.
To slow down the energy a bit and show off their harmonies (and calm side), check out this live performance of You, Me, Lonely:
Okay, let’s bring it back up to the first full and title track on their album, The Secret to Life. Jaunty rhythms, driving tempo, gang vocals, and vibrant harmonies all jockey for attention:
It’s about time to end this introduction to FIZZ. Their whole album is worth checking out, as are all 5 live performances on youtube. But let’s finish off where the live performance and the album do, the Grand Finale. A sprawling, 6-minute track that encompasses everything we’ve come to expect from this pandemonium of a supergroup (even dodie’s clarinet).
Tyson Peveto 