If Green Day and The All-American Rejects had a music baby, it would be Dizzy Bats. Considering the band themselves claim to be influenced by late-90’s/early 2000’s pop-punk powerhouses, this could very well be the real origin story – someone get Billie Joe Armstrong on the phone, we need answers! On a real note, the band’s newest self-titled LP is the type of album you can leave playing in the background, subconsciously meditating on its utter angst. Dizzy Bats isn’t particularly groundbreaking, but it’s effortlessly enjoyable and you’ll be searching for your old stud belt and ripped jeans within minutes.
Right off the bat, pop-punk aficionados will be pleased with “Alone.” Easily recognizable influences make for intoxicating nostalgia and the bounciness opposes what you would assume a song titled “Alone” might sound like. The band reportedly went back and forth when deciding which song they wanted to be the LP’s opener, almost siding with the third track of the album “Cut Me Loose.” Leaning more towards Blink-182 at this point, “Cut Me Loose” is quick and peppy with highly relatable lyrics and guitar riffs you’ll find yourself humming mindlessly for hours. Undoubtedly a great song, but when compared to “Alone,” the decision to keep it further down on the tracklist was a good move – “Alone” is just the type of song that makes you curious enough to keep listening.
The heaviest (and arguably most stand-alone) song of the album is “GOOD!” The crescendos of suspense sprinkled throughout the track give it a subtly cinematic presence, and the balance is a lot less guitar-heavy than what the album has showcased in other songs. It ends with a few seconds of spoken words, which punctuates the high-energy song in an unexpectedly calm manner.
Ultimately the album can be summed up in two words – “fun” and “familiar.” The flow from track to track was smooth, the sound was angsty, and the lyrics were full of emotion – just what fans of this genre are constantly looking for. Dizzy Bats is – simply put – a pretty great album.
Rating: 6.5/10
