What to Listen to: DIZZYISDEAD

Artist: DIZZYISDEAD

Genre: Alternative/Independent

Bad Brains Rating: 🚛🚛🚛🚛🚛 (That's FIVE articulated lorries, if you're counting!)

“I try to tell my story, but they just want a sad one.”

Every once in a while, the stars align perfectly, and the YouTube algorithms deliver a neatly polished gem right into the palm of my hand. Discovering DIZZYISDEAD at this stage of his career is like walking in on Michelangelo halfway through painting the Sistine Chapel— you can already tell it's going to draw a massive, traffic-coagulating crowd one day, but right now you're just kind of wondering who this guy is and how the hell he got up there.

I'd like to say that I'm about to tell you, but I traveled all the way into dangerously uncharted territory (page 2 of Google) to find out as much as I could about DIZZYISDEAD, and I've come up empty-handed. Perhaps he is in the witness protection program? He is Canadian after all, and they are notoriously elusive creatures... but besides a handful of lethal songs and just shy of 160k monthly listeners on Spotify, I got nothing.

So that's as good of a place as any to start, I guess! “I'll be Fine” was my introduction to DIZZYISDEAD, so I'm confident that you will see the same refined talent that I saw when you listen to it:

Alright, so now that we're all caught up, how would you describe DIZZYISDEAD? Personally, I feel as though he possesses many of my favorite qualities: he's funny, relatable, and perhaps a little haunted. His methodical, spoken-word delivery has a way of blurring the line between your own thoughts and his lyrics, which I find to be both disturbing and remarkably impressive in equal measure. I think it goes without saying that here at Bad Brains we have a soft spot for independent artists, and although I have no actual sources to cite, it does appear that DIZZY falls into that category.

It almost seems reductive to describe his style as just “alternative” when there are definitely a few punk and hip hop elements peeking through the clouds. Something about the coarse, youthful quality of his voice immediately reminds me of Blink 182 in their heyday, and the dark cadence of “Six Feet” is in no way dissimilar to everything I love about Blakswan.

DIZZY can deliver the most poignant, self-defeated lyrics in such a playful way that they leave you feeling uplifted and (dare I say) almost make you laugh. It's as if he reaches into your head, pulls all the depression out and molds it like Playdoh into something much more enjoyable to look at. Maybe you could even use it as a centerpiece for your table on Thanksgiving? Do they celebrate Thanksgiving in Canada?

Anyway, I digress... DIZZY possesses the unique ability to make you look inside yourself, come to terms with the fact that you aren't perfect, and leave feeling at peace with the same flaws you once tried so desperately to hide from the world. Careful now, DIZZY. My therapy bill is a load-bearing structure.

If you got a dollar
Every time that you sucked
You'd probably be on the Forbes list
With Elon Musk
You'd have a big ass mansion
And a new Benz truck
Still wouldn't be enough
To make me give a fuck

I love everything I have seen from DIZZYISDEAD so far, but can we just take a moment to appreciate how savage his track “I Wish you Worse” is?! If this song had existed in 1939, they would have played it when they dropped Dorothy's house on the first witch. I mean, come on, shots were fired with that line, and we're still bleeding here! This track is dripping with so much delicious pettiness I have had to talk myself out of texting it to my boss under the guise of “checking out a new artist” several times.

Seriously, who wishes that someone's favorite band is playing nearby and that the tickets are already sold out? That's just mean, man.

Since I am such a nice person, I will now leave you on that happy note. And one day, because I strongly believe in manifesting your dreams (and all that other hocus pocus), maybe DIZZYISDEAD will do a collaboration with the Skinner Brothers? Probably not, but I can still dream! And you can't take my dreams away from me, you're not the soul-crushing reality of middle age.

Go show this legend some love on YouTube, Instagram, or visit his official website here.

☘️ 🖤