FIZZ, the indie pop supergroup making a buzz, are bubbling with optimism after discovering the secrets to life in their dreamy debut album The Secret To Life.

FIZZ was the first moniker that band members dodie, Orla Gartland, Greta Isaac and Martin Luke Brown could collectively agree upon. Despite being plucked from the blue, the name is the perfect fit for the tight-knit music collective; their debut album, The Secret To Life, which dropped last week, is giddy with escapism, unpredictable and full of freewheeling fun. 

 

The band’s latest project is the product of a summer spent locked in a recording studio in the British countryside. At Middle Farm Studios, Devon, FIZZ found the uninterrupted space that allowed their four creative minds to sync in running wild. With the help of producing wizard Peter Miles, they actualised their imagination and musical musings into a cohesive 12-track album.

 

Each member of the alternative indie-pop band is a successful artist in their own right. dodie is a critically acclaimed artist, Orla is an Irish singer-songwriter and guitarist, Greta is a Cardiff-born folky-artist and Martin is a self-described ‘gritty, soul-y, hippie boy’. Meeting coincidentally on their various musical escapades, they quickly became each others ‘biggest fans’ and began collaborating, honing a unique collective sound. Audible on their four previous singles, it was only a matter of time before a FIZZ album, and universe ‘Fizzville’, was born. 

 

Described as the ‘sweet spot between reality and make-believe’, The Secret To Life takes listeners on an emotive, sensory-stimulating journey, akin to Willy Wonka’s bubblegum (one of the album’s inspirations). Most songs are uplifting but there are moments, like the interlude ‘Strawberry Jam’, which lament loneliness and melancholy. ‘You, Me, Lonely’ is a stand-out track, showcasing dodie’s captivating lead vocals along with cleverly layered harmonies. The band describes it as: “A time capsule for the moment right before two hearts break”.

 

Before FIZZ take their whimsical new music on a UK tour in February, we learn how the quiet quickly became the storm.

How did you meet and what lead you to become a collective?
Right, let’s see. Orla met Gret when getting her band together for her first UK tour back in 2013. Martin ended up supporting Orla on her second UK tour, which Gret was also on in 2015. On this tour, dodie was supporting at the London show. So, I guess we all officially met on that fateful night in 2015 about eight years ago. Since then we’ve all collaborated in various ways. Gret’s worked on creative for Orla, dodie and Martin projects at various different points. Martin and Gret have written loads together, including a couple of songs on Orla’s first album, Orla plays guitar in dodie’s band. We’ve been in each other’s pockets for years, it was only a matter of time and circumstance really, we are truly just the biggest fans of each other.
Why pick the name FIZZ?
Because it was slightly better than Drew Bandymoore… Only just though.
Why do you work well as a band – what connects you?
Pure play really. We all feel so safe and unjudged and that allows for so much daft shit to happen.
Your style and visuals are distinctive, how did you create this FIZZ aesthetic and what is its significance?
When we were making the album, it was all about retreating from our usual way of creating. The process was all about inverting how we’d usually write music and flipping it entirely on its head – a lot of it felt really playful, intuitive, theatrical and honestly really fucking ambitious. I think when we started thinking about how we wanted the creative of the album to expand on that, we referenced visuals that made us feel similar. We wanted to find the sweet spot between reality and make-believe, and started thinking about films like Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, The Wizard Of Oz, Alice In Wonderland: films that take place in these constructed realities that feel really sickly sweet, but have this uncanny valley distortion about them. We’ve worked with some insanely talented artists and creatives to bring our make-believe world, ‘Fizzville’, to life; it’s been such a joy so far.
How would you describe your ‘sound’?
 Like, absolutely horrible but undeniably fun.
When did you have your first big break as a band? 
That’s a hard one to answer really, I guess in various ways we’ve all had breaks in our own worlds, so it’s all felt like a marrying of our individual successes. We’ve had so many fun moments already. The BBC Radio 1 Maida Vale session was amazing, playing Latitude was great. We also did this one-off collaborative event with immersive theatre company Punchdrunk who we’re huge fans of, so that felt big too.
What was it like performing at The Great Escape and other festivals this summer? 
It was so fun seeing how people were reacting to the songs after hearing them for the first time. It’s such a mad world, we weren’t sure how it was gonna go down with people but it’s all been received with open arms. We’re all itching for the album to be out so we can play shows where people have had time to fully live with the songs.
What is your musical process – does it change with every project? 
There is no process really. With this album, we did it in two separate week-long trips to the middle farm and within that time we wrote and recorded everything. It’s just a case of carving out the time and trusting that we’ll be able to capture the magic of it all while we’re there.
What are the challenges of being a young band in the UK music industry?
I think the hardest thing has been navigating social media as a group. Portraying four distinct personalities through one channel has been challenging at times. We all care so much and are so involved in every decision, it feels much more democratic than our own projects, which we all dictate individually.
Why did you feel it was the right moment to produce your first album?
It just felt serendipitous. Orla was between albums, dodie had just released an EP, Martin was wrapping up his first album campaign. It logistically lined up and just felt like the right time in our lives to fuck shit up and try something completely different for a sec. I think the project itself and all of our individual projects can only ever benefit from that new perspective.
Can you discuss your journey with The Secret To Life album? what inspired it, what were the highlights and what were the challenges? 
Truly, there were very minimal challenges. It was a complete inverting of our usual way of working. No ego, no cerebral overthinking about how it was gonna be perceived; it was just total joy and escapism. We’re all so proud we managed to follow through on that intention. I guess it’s been hard at times navigating business and pleasure but again it all just boils down to trust and communication and we’ve got so good at that now.
What are each of you most excited about going on this tour? 
All of it: the singing, the costumes and the energy. The campaign has felt largely online so far but nothing compares to that sense of community you get being in a room of like-minded people having a daft old time, singing, dancing and celebrating life. We’re all gassed for that. Orla always says you top and tail campaigns with the fun stuff, the tour feels like the reward for all the hard work.
Aside from your tour, what will you be working on the next few months?
We’ve already started writing for whatever’s next, we can’t help it. Orla is prepping for her next release, we’re all working on various bits and pieces, but we’re all open to being reactive with FIZZ too. It’s all completely unknown and out of our control so we’re doing our best to prepare for absolutely anything!
Where do you hope FIZZ will be 2 years from now? 
On holiday.
Do you have a collective dream as a band? 

Honestly, no. The band is the dream, everything else is a bonus!

Listen to The Secret To Life below:

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