Like many other industries, the music business has its share of ennui, repetition and stale formulas. Canadian band Dizzy satirize that beautifully in their new single “Open Up Wide.” It’s the first single to be shared from their newly-announced self-titled album, which will arrive on August 18 through Communion.
“Open Up Wide” is “a tongue-in-cheek ode to a music industry we’ve never understood all that well,” says singer Katie Munshaw. “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 ‘spoonfed’ fashion for easy listening, when Mack 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 be while we were having our morning coffees.”
In the song’s visualizer, Munshaw hops joylessly while singing, “Gotta pay to get the kids in front headbangin’, headbangin’, headbangin’.” Yes, showbiz can be a real grind, but Dizzy manage to keep their performances fresh. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have sold out two London shows coming up in May.
Like fellow Canadian artist Orville Peck, Munshaw likes to hide her public persona behind a mask. But it would be exhilarating to see her face register disdain or wry amusement when the headbanging commences. There’s nothing spoon-fed or formulaic about what this talented group brings to every song – and their third album Dizzy promises to be one of the year’s finest.
Listen to “Open Up Wide” below, or find it on the streaming platforms.
The band’s Dizzy album releases August 18 on Communion Records (pre-order/save).
