Dizzy captures the feeling of intense hometown heartbreak.
Photograph by Leeor Wild
Vocalist Katie Munshaw’s angelic voice is both captivating and dreamy
Born and raised in Oshawa, Ontario, the band Dizzy is fairly new to the Canadian music scene but are navigating it with confidence and class and are subtly “killing it.” With over 200,000 monthly listeners on Spotify, Dizzy has had no trouble finding their way to the top of the indie pop music scene.
Their debut album “Baby Teeth” features soft, melancholic tracks that are perfect for getting you through those late-night study sessions. Vocalist Katie Munshaw’s angelic voice is both captivating and dreamy, with the addition of meaningful and realistic lyrics from true suburbia. Accompanying Munshaw on stage are Mackenzie, Charlie, and Alex Spencer, brothers, and fellow bandmates.
Growing up in Oshawa, the band is familiar with what life in the suburbs looks like. Paying close attention to the lyrics, Dizzy paints a picture of what suburbia is like through the lens of their lives and personal experiences of life in Oshawa.
My personal favourite from the album, “Joshua” rings true to the intense feeling of hometown heartbreak. Captivated by the first line of the song, Munshaw recites the lyrics of a broken heart, determined to be preoccupied by something other than heartbreak, instead of being torn apart by “Joshua.” The first line of the song is what drew me to this tune in particular:
“Joshua’s a Gemini…He broke my heart”
So simple yet complex, Munshaw perfectly reflects the intense feeling of teenage heartbreak. This lyric is truly a hook for the rest of the song’s success on the album.
Among one of the more fan popular songs on the album, “Backstroke” embodies a dream like essence of barely floating, swimming backstroke just to stay alive, and feeling like you’re barely surviving being in love, or surviving the feeling of being in love. The chorus perfectly describes this feeling:
“I'll swim backstroke to keep from drowning
Nose to the sky, carve your name in the baby blue”
When choosing an album to review, I was drawn to “Baby Teeth” because of the lyrics the band chooses to orchestrate their songs with. So perfectly written, it is obvious that the band uses their lyrics as an artform in which they are truly inspired by personal experiences and being able to tell a story through music. The album itself is a work of literary art.
Dizzy will be performing their album “Baby Teeth” at an intimate show at The Casbah on April 21st. Tickets can be bought here.
Natalie Clark is a 2nd year Political Science and Communications major. Being a fan of all types of music, she writes music related articles for CFMU as well as weekly articles for the News and Arts and Culture sections of The Silhouette.
