DITZ is an addictive listen. The Brighton-based quintet’s ability to meld sharp, thoughtful lyrics with a type of sonic power that is distinctly their own is utterly intoxicating to the ear. This, of course, is because their music paints a portrait that encompasses all facets that serve as cornerstones of the human experience – including those that are easy to think about experience, and those that are not. What sets DITZ apart is that they address the latter really well, which is hard to do. Whether they’re addressing the duality of the role anger holds in bigotry (“Gayboy”) or the bevy of complex nuances that pepper interpersonal relationships “Seeking Arrangement”), DITZ’s music places a metaphorical hand on the shoulder of the listener: their music is the kind that can be widely connected to. That’s a really special sensation.
Here, DITZ dives into “Gayboy,” their latest single and what Americans may not know about England’s creative landscape, as well as who they’d cast to play themselves in biopic about the band.
Is there an exciting music scene anymore? How would you describe the state of music in the UK? Is there a scene or area you look towards as being inspiring or is there one that you think is exciting? (i.e. Berlin, Australia, New York, LA, etc.)
Anton: I feel that Brighton’s scene is starting to die a little, it’s being oversaturated with musicians and bands and there’s very little community here. There’s often a lot of competition between bands that don’t even cross paths.
Archie: Brighton’s scene, especially, has dropped under water a little due to competition within the city. With universities & the city as a whole breeding musicians daily, everyone is fighting for that support slot or that release that everyone is interested in. In turn, Brighton can be very judgmental and damaging towards what used to be a scene.
You released your latest single, “Gayboy,” earlier this month. What can you share with us about that track?
Archie: “Gayboy” is a split up, disoriented but sophisticated product of Cal’s message that we as a band all stand for. It’s beaten up guitars and blocked drums create the perfect sound for the mix of anger and irony of bigotry as a whole.
Facial transpositions have a huge role in the music video for “Seeking Arrangement.” How did that idea come to materialize, and did it stem from the lyrical content in any way?
Anton: Our good mate, Jay, filmed and directed the video and added a couple of post-effects. We had no idea about the face swaps until he showed us, we liked it and it stayed.
Archie: We got our mate Jay Bartlett in to shoot the video as we all knew him and his work before hand. We all wanted the video to be fun, taking away ‘perfection’ and exploring/experimenting with what we had. We had an idea of the direction we wanted to take it in and left Jay to his own devices, there came fucked faces.
“I Am Chris Martin” is such an intriguing title for a track that’s so nuanced and full-bodied – therefore making it refreshingly divergent from the work of the man himself. How did the song get its name?
Anton: I actually have no idea … The song is one of the oldest we wrote, which must’ve been like 2-3 years ago.
Between “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “Rocketman,” and the recently announced “Stardust,” musical biopics are having quite the moment in the sun. If one was made about DITZ, which actors would you select to play yourselves onscreen and why?
Archie:
Cal – Uma Thurman as Mia Wallace
Anton – Wally Walrus (Woody the Woodpecker)
Jack – Roadrunner (Roadrunner)
Caleb – Keanu reeves as Ted (Bill and Ted)
Archie – Hong Kong Phooey
What is something American readers may not know about the creative landscape in Brighton, and England as a whole?
Anton: Brighton has a massive psych scene, although the rest of the UK doesn’t seem to follow the trend. Indie-pop, that are often carbon copies of The 1975, are pretty big to the mainstream population. Although with bands like IDLES, Shame and most recently Fontaines DC, things seem to be changing.
Turns out rock music isn’t dead.
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