The Secret To Life by Fizz
Fizz is a band of notable solo artists dodie, Orla Gartland, Greta Isaac, and Martin Luke Brown. I call them a band, but they self-identify as “a collective of beloved musicians and friends” and that couldn’t be more true. Each of these artists has built a reputable, imaginative career in their own right, so why join together? Because they're friends and boy do they have fun making music together. In their debut album The Secret To Life, dodie, Gartland, Isaac, and Brown each bring their own style and talent to meld together in a pot of whimsical aesthetics, camp chaos, and existential fun. As a fan of each of these artists, I can confidently say they bring out the best of each other, pushing one another in new directions, and bringing together genres of pop, rock, indie, and folk. Their debut album, as described by the title, tackles The Secret To Life. This is no doubt an ambitious goal for their first album together, but it’s an honorable one. They knock romantic relationships off their very high societal pedestal, and prove that friendships can be the enduring relationship of a lifetime.
Hilarity ensues as “A New Phase Awaits You :-)” begins. Within this trippy, ironic, and silly introduction, Isaac puts on her best customer service voice inviting the listeners to partake in The Secret To Life. Self-aware, Fizz advertises The Secret To Life as a product they can market and sell “for six monthly installments of just 49.99!” Fizz invites you to “escape reality” with them, to “be the owner of a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” of course only if you open your wallet. Within just a minute, Fizz has set up themes of capitalism, friendship, and dissociation, preparing listeners to join them on a crazy, fantastical journey.
The opening track glides straight into the next song with overlapping voices of the band getting ready to start the album, jumping right into the rebellious, narcissistic chant of The Secret To Life. Every member screams the lyrics of self-praise with apparent self-denial: “It’s textbook repressive behavior / Bow down to me, I’m your savior” These first two songs are high on irony. Fizz knows all. We, the audience, know nothing. Be grateful you are allowed on this journey…“You wouldn’t wanna be left behind / ‘Cause this is the secret to life” A brilliant start to the album, Fizz hooks the listeners in with disorderly fun: making ironic fun of themselves, making fun of the audience, and making fun in general.
The first single released by the band, “High in Brighton”, continues this fun, but with a different melancholic edge. The premise is simple, grab your friends, do drugs, and run away. The song sounds fun and energetic, but has an underlying sadness as they convey that boredom leads to cheap thrills like drugs. Escapism can be fun and exciting, but when you are trying to figure out the meaning of life like Fizz is, it quickly becomes depressing that mundane, sober life can be excruciatingly boring.
Up next on the album is “Strawberry Jam” which provides a wonderful display of harmonies from all four members. The song has a repetitive, playful manner as each member explores different keys and riffs as the song progresses. This exemplifies the joy of The Secret To Life, the song isn’t meant to be “good” or follow expected song structures. Fizz is just having fun exploring different sounds. You can almost hear the band testing and teasing each other, as if you are in the recording studio with them.
“Close One” deserves a highlight as my personal favorite off the album. Out of the four singles released before the album, this one feels quieter, taking a step back from that chaos the others emulate. Gartland’s style and voice shines through. “Close One” feels refined and serene, while still remaining within the distinct Fizz vibes.
If “Close One” seems Gartland coded, “I Just Died” feels transparently dodie. While her influence is apparent in the layering and lyrical tone, the song is often surprising, taking dodie in atypical directions with Gartland and Isaac joining in. A playful, groovy song seeped in resentment and heartbreak. The song is spiteful, flirty, and perfectly fits into the hypnotic weird energy the album exudes.
In a shift to the super silly, Brown gets his turn front and center with “Rocket League” The song is short and sweet, serving as a parody of 60s/70s-style song writing. Boyish and charming, within the existential album this song breaks up the potential heaviness with Brown stuck in the oversimplification of life: brushing his teeth, hanging with the boys, dating a nice girl, and playing some Rocket League.
Brown carries us again into “Hell Of A Ride.” Angsty and edgy, Fizz takes us all the way back to the ultimate question: what is the secret to life? Brown addresses the listener “I’m on day six hundred and thirty-nine/ Hello and welcome to my pointless life.” Everyone joins in on the euphoric, cathartic chorus “I’m 25, goin’ on 45, goin’ on 99, goin’ on dead.” Life is moving fast, the ride seems meaningless and things are looking bleak. Despite this, the song ends on a hopeful note when Orla interrupts with an idyllic, heavenly verse. Things may be bad, but life’s worth it with friends, “What a surprise, God, I’m glad I’m alive, I’m alive, I’m alive.”
The girls take over again, rightfully so for “A Good As It Gets” Fizz comments on the frustration of being repeatedly told by society that a woman’s whole worldview should revolve around the possibility of fucking men. “As Good As It Gets” is angry, powerful and the lyrics are only too relatable. If “Rocket League” is considered the ‘boy-song’, it gets to be playful and fun in contrast to the feminine perspective found in “As Good As It Gets” which implicitly must be darker and filled with hurt.
“You, Me, Lonely” and “Lights Out” are clearly paired together near the very end of the album. Slowing down immensely, the songs delve into romantic relationships, and the vulnerability of trying to know another person. Both songs use beautiful harmonies from all four members, sad echoes of heartbreak and past loves. All voices are heard and felt.
The album culminates with “The Grand Finale” a theatrical close to this whimsical, caring album. The 60s/70s influences from The Beatles, Queen, Elton John, etc. are never more seen through this finale song, though present extensively throughout the entire album. A final cheer to each other, to their friendship, the band says goodbye to The Secret To Life.
People often say rock and roll is disappearing, but I think it’s clearly evolved and merged with other genres. Fizz is building off the past with a wacky, crazy sense of the future. With a solid debut album, the music bubbles with how much fun these artists had coming together. If you are interested in the musical direction of artists like Chapell Roan, Miya Folick, or The Last Dinner Party, I’m sure you would love The Secret To Life. Excited to see what comes next, I hope Fizz continues on their camptastical journey of wonder and friendship.