FIZZ's 'The Secret to Life' Unveils a Cinematic Ode to Friendship and Musical Liberation
IN THE ENCHANTED REALM OF MUSICAL HARMONY, FOUR KINDRED SPIRITS — Dodie, Orla Gartland, Greta Isaac, and Martin Luke Brown — delved into uncharted melodies, weaving together a tapestry of whimsy and childlike awe. Their collaboration births The Secret to Life, FIZZ's debut album, an ode to existence. With it, they craft a melodic journey through nostalgia, spun with the threads of an extraordinary musical adventure. Through their eccentric style and fun-filled musical escapades, FIZZ has produced a new definition to the power of friendship.
Despite coming into fruition only two years prior, FIZZ was already creatively attuned, the members having been friends for 10 years. To know one is to know the others, and that foundation became instrumental to the space it gave them to trust and affirm one another. Slipping into operating as a unit became as effortless as creating the album, taking only around two weeks in 2021 and 2022. The Secret to Life evolved into a sanctuary, offering an escape from the demanding confines of the music industry and allowing for a rediscovery of the pure joy found within creating music alongside cherished friends.
After an airy, poppy introduction reminiscent of ’70s commercials with “A New Phase Awaits You :-),” the album dives in with the title track, “The Secret To Life,'' filled with loud riotous rhythm and harmonizing screams of the truth. Throughout the song, you can hear the blend of rhythmic instruments: Gartland’s and Issac’s rockier influence, and even the bubbly production of Dodie’s solo material. Together, their elements fuse into a vibrant theatrical track that combines the simple pleasures of life with the animation of friendship to produce a colorful anthem of living.
While the campy rhythm continues in “High in Brighton,” the album tone shifts into something sweeter with “Strawberry Jam.” The whimsy track sounds almost like a gentle prayer, until about midway through, when it takes an edgier tone. The drums and bells transform this nostalgic song and create a new depth.
“Close One” follows a blend of the album’s first four tracks, with a more stereotypical indie-pop sound. The song best resembles how you would imagine a track by these four artists to be. It’s smooth and gentle, striking the balance between vulnerability and resilience with an intimacy haloed by the string of guitars and rhythmic beating of drums and bells. It’s an elegant masterpiece that overshadows the next track “I Just Died”. The fun, catchy and bittersweet track “I Just Died” serves as a subtle complement to the magic of “Close One”.
“Rocket League” is Brown’s grand introduction through a short but sweet folksy song about the joys of the video game Rocket League and the short wonders of growing older. Dodie, Issac, and Gartland follow as backup vocalists to let Brown shine through the track.
Right on the opposite spectrum of “Rocket League” follows the cathartic, edgier “As Good As It Gets.” While Brown can sing about online gaming and sitting with his girlfriend, our leading ladies shine as they reflect on the experiences of femininity and womanhood — the good, the ugly, and everything in between. The Secret to Life demonstrates the range the members of FIZZ have – from their individual experiences to the collective growl of dealing with the modern world. Dodie, Issac, and Gartland shine through “As Good As It Gets”, providing an outlet to let out their furocity about their own experiences while reaching a tumultuous escalation through a whirlwind of growing pains.
Closing off the 12-track album with the bona fide “The Grand Finale,” the closer shines as a theatrical end to the cinematic album. Filled with bittersweet grief, cursing, screaming, and, of course, a playful hint of laughter, The Secret to Life closes as it began: a loud urgency played along with an almost raucous and unforgiving freedom with the juvenile helplessness of artists just trying to figure it out.
