Bloomington, Indiana's own Dizgo put out their third official studio LP, Melt on February 2nd. This follows the studio release of 2019's Deeper, and their 2021 release of The Quarantine Compilation, an official live album.
Since its release, the on-the-rise electro-jam-funk band has been extensively touring in support of the new album, playing 40+ shows so far this year alone across the entire US. Dizgo has also made a name for themselves on the festival circuit, with appearances at major festivals like Peach, Summer Camp and Resonance. They've also supported acts such as Goose and Parliament-Funkadelic.
The quartet is made up of Andrew Pickel on guitar and vocals; Kevin Hinnefeld on bass, keys and vocals; Justin Clark on drums; and Jake Evatt on keys and vocals.
Melt coverart
One of the band's strong suits and allures is their live improvisation; their ability to spontaneously communicate with each other in the moment is up there with the greats of the genre. With a melting pot of musical styles at their disposal, you never know what direction they'll take their songs. Dizgo is effortlessly able to weave between musical styles at the drop of a hat. According to their biography, "Dizgo redefines the live experience by blending jamtronica with funk, deep-groove soul, and psychedelic rock, taking the audience on a musical journey that includes intricate compositions and extended improvisation. The result is something both danceable and introspective: soulful vocals, interweaving analog synths and shredding guitar all of which join forces under the banner of Dizgo."
Melt does a great job at capturing elements of everyone's favorite jamband and turning that unique blending of genres into a style and sound completely of their own. These influence's shine throughout the record. When speaking on the album, the band shares, "When everything goes right, we all 'melt' into one collective unit, experiencing time & space together. The special moment where music connects and creates community - melting together a bond between the music, musician, and listener."
Melt begins with the extremely funky "It's Alright" right out of the gate. A catchy melody, synthesizer funk, grooving bass and the positive message that "it's gonna be alright" lead into a tremendous guitar solo that brings the song to its peak.
Melt continues with this trend of up-beat danceable synthesizer funk. "Rainbow Lightning" keeps the energy high, and contains an extremely tight composed middle section. Dizgo composed harmonies in regard to the vocals and instrumentation are well executed and with intention. Even their prog influenced tracks, such as "Liquefaction" keep things spontaneous and danceable, despite its heavy nature at times.
Throughout the multiple genre-bending piece, the band is able to immediately bring us into a world of heavy metal and then at the snap of a finger transition into a buttery funk groove. Eventually this leads into a tranquil bliss that grows into a blistering guitar solo to end the tune. Their songwriting also has pop influences, notably on their tracks "Honey" and "Help Is On the Way". Both of these songs were released as official singles. The album ends with one final bang, "Whiteout" a slow-building spacey introduction leads us into an ear-worm hook that you don't want to end.
Dizgo's studio LP Melt is currently available on all streaming services here.
