Tam Lin - Fizzy!

 Released: August 13

Finding the words to describe Fizzy! Is a bit difficult, but if I had to pick a word it would be unhinged, at least to a moderate degree. The album is meant to be something of an exploration behind the idea of having an online existence or identity. Now, the way this exploration plays out is downright bizarre and weird. There’s a combination of instrumental tracks and tracks that feature prominent vocals, though most of the instrumentals are just versions of the original tracks with vocals. As much as I enjoy an instrumental, they didn’t resonate with me near as much as the originals simply due to the absence of Tam Lin’s vocals, which are equally difficult to describe. There’s a very odd quality to the vocals, which often feel half-sung and half-spoken with distorted and pitchbent vocal accompaniments to the mainline. “World of appearances gives a good example of what I”m talking about as Lin’s almost muttered lines are joined intermittently by some weird oohs and hash that sound like they are being run through an industrial fan. 

The entire album is just a wild exercise in surrealism. Nothing is quite grounded, and every element feels like it is just tangentially connected to other elements. I think the closest we get to solidly pop sensibilities is the title track itself “fizzy!” But even this is a stretch to some extent as the song consistently falls apart into a refrain of Lin communicating the their “mind feels like petals,” the meaning of which still eludes me after several listenings. Outside of the vocals, the sonic qualities of the tracks veer towards harsh and noisy, but arranged into weird rhythmic structures that don’t really tame the chaos, but maybe a little bit of a softer edge on it. But Lin also does show their willingness to soften things a bit more with the drearily ambient “dissolving margins.” It is by now means a relaxing kind of ambient track, rather it is one that lulls with soft gray pads and then agitates with small bits of crushed tonal noise so that you don’t forget you are supposed to be confused. 

It’s this persistent confusion in the album that I really love about it. The author of the work knows exactly what they are communicating, but they aren’t trying to give it straight to the listener. Instead, they use weird tones and fractured sentences to communicate this sense of excited discomfort. You know it’s noisy, new, and exciting, but it also leaves you wondering what you’re actually excited about.