There’s certain new freedom given to the artistic mindset when you’re able to rebrand yourself and take another stab at your chosen career path in the arts; ask any artist you know, they would probably ogle at the possibility of a clean slate or a smooth rebranding opportunity that wasn’t tied to their established past works, even if starting over can feel daunting at first. For the newly-established band Izzie’s Caravan, this was ultimately the path they took. Formed out of a band’s ashes long since dormant, the new iteration meant a clean break with a new direction if its members so chose it. The titular Izzie had left music behind temporarily after growing jaded against the music machine, but with the new album Blow The Lid, it’s evident that the band is here to rage against that very machine and create in-your-face music that’s unabashed in its approach and unafraid to exist as a line in the sand.
WEBSITE: https://izziescaravan.com/
Consisting of eight tracks, Blow The Lid is an inarguably bold debut for Izzie’s Caravan. The seeming improbability that a band could enter the scene this loud and this self-assured would feel unlikely, but there’s nothing unlikely about the guitar work by Izzie on display here. Working together with Sim on vocals, Robbie on keys, and Roque on bass, there’s never a moment on the album that feels undercooked or out of place.
Listeners will undoubtedly enjoy the title track which exists in a bottled production as a concept piece that paints the modern landscape in a dour, nearly helpless light. Existing as a political response that feels outraged, more or less, at everything on parade, the entire album pivots around this track as a central theme. The slower tracks are just as polished as the ones with shredding guitar solos — the concept of a truly slow song doesn’t exist within the limits of Blow The Lid, but the closest version of one might be deemed acceptable in the form of “Lost.” This track is a softer entry for Izzie’s Caravan but it still feels like a trademark outing for the group with the smooth guitar and warm, twinkly work on the keys.
As far as artistic ambitions go, the overall quality of Blow The Lid is an album to be proud of. The ability of Izzie’s Caravan to smartly rebrand themselves into a new act after years of growing stagnant in hiatus mode isn’t at all evident from the music on display, and the impressive highs reached (the album closer is almost twenty minutes long!!!) more than make up for any of the lesser songwriting that could otherwise feel a tad derivative in hands less-skilled. Blow The Lid never pitches a fastball down the center, but the curveballs thrown make for that much more of an enjoyable listening experience.
The future of Izzie’s Caravan is something to keep close track of as I could see this lineup growing and shifting to suit the variety of sounds needed as the compositions grow more ambitious with time, but for now, the band is in great hands and the fate of their musical endeavors feel extremely well-planned.
Jodi Marxbury