Dizzy - 'Open Up Wide'
Dizzy ‘Open Up Wide’ in engaging new single.
The Canadian indie-pop/rock band have released another song from their upcoming record, which will be their third.
The band formed in 2015, and their debut album Baby Teeth arrived in 2018 with much success, going on to win the Juno Award for Alternative Album of the Year in 2019.
Their sophomore album The Sun and Her Scorch was released in 2020, which was also nominated for the Juno award.
In November of last year, they made their comeback with single Barking Dog, and in January released Birthmark, a dreamy, floaty track with hooky riffs in typical Dizzy fashion.
Open Up Wide sees the four-piece take on a more pop-based sound, but that is certainly no bad thing and they do it very well.
Vocalist Katie Munshaw’s soft tones sit atop the production, made up of slightly distorted and fuzzy guitars that loop around, and steady drums. The song is sonically repetitive but never in a way that feels annoying or boring. In fact, it’s somewhat hypnotic. “Open up wide/Gotta pay to rent/To rot away in my mom’s basement” Munshaw delivers in the chorus, “Gotta pay to get the kids headbanging” she tells us, ‘headbanging’ repeated several times, almost like a mantra.
The song is rather tongue-in-cheek and sardonic, and a look at being overworked in the music industry. Speaking about the track, Munshaw said: “When we started recording the album, our producer David Pramik was super conscious of cutting the fat from each song. One afternoon he encouraged us to write our parts in a simpler, more spoon-fed fashion for easy listening, when Mack (bassist Mackenzie Spencer) piped up cheekily ‘Open up wide! Here comes the airplane!’ The next morning, we were all feeling a bit resentful of that mindset and Open Up Wide came to us while we were having our morning coffees.”
Slowing down during the bridge, the song takes on a bit of a different shape. “Insert the stanza that makes them weep/Remove the prose that means anything” Katie draws out. Then, it picks up again and the riffs and drums loop, bringing us to the end of the song abruptly.
Open Up Wide is an impressive and intriguing track that sees the band venturing in a different direction, with all the best parts about their previous music remaining. The new album promises to be incredibly strong.
Words by Lucy Skeet
