Songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Izzy Savides has shared their mind-bending debut EP 'Potato World', available today on all DSPs worldwide. The EP is a dynamic work of art touching on alternative, R&B, pop, and grunge, and showcases Savides’ multi-instrumentalist talent and songwriting prowess at an incredibly young age.
Izzy added, "To me these songs are just a translation of my thoughts - I don't view them as sophisticated or academic types of work. I don’t want to be pigeonholed into a genre," says Izzy on the EP. Each song on 'Potato World', her debut project, is deeply personal to Savides and was inspired by a fear of losing her mind. “I have a vision of myself going insane eventually and in these songs I brought out the vision, using weird soundscapes, chords, and voices” she explains. Insanity is not a pleasant muse, but the output it created is a sound unlike any other. It artfully meshes all of Izzy’s musical influences into something brand new.
Lead single 'Prison in the Suburbs' sees Izzy incorporate tritone substitutions, which are generally heard in jazz music, on grungy, raw guitar parts; test out an unpredictable, inverted bassline, and stack vocals to create haunting harmonies as they lament about their isolating childhood. “I’m not even sure what’s happening harmonically there,” they admit, “I just used my ear.” 'Autumn in Atlantis' is a sludgy, melancholic track where Izzy wishes to disappear into a world of blissful perfection. It also touches on anorexia and the harm in striving to be flawless.
At the age of 18, Izzy can sing, produce, and play a myriad of instruments. Simply put, she’s a prodigy. But she’s not one to brag - she’d rather have her music do the talking. Though not traditional synesthesia, when Izzy hears music, they see a movie in their head. Sometimes it’s abstract colors and shapes, sometimes it’s visualized emotions, and sometimes it’s a full-on story with people and everything. Because of this, she prefers to do everything herself, from singing and playing the instruments to recording and mastering.
Sonically, Izzy learned different techniques from their favorite artists: beat production came from studying Remi Wolf; vocal harmonies from Fiona Apple and Billie Eilish; vocal phrasing from Amy Winehouse; interesting chord progressions from Radiohead; the harmonic minor scale from System of a Down. “I just kind of soak up stuff I enjoy because I want my music to be the most enjoyable thing to listen to,” she says.
The first time their music turned heads was at a serendipitous birthday party right after they turned 16. Against her wishes, Izzy's’ mom played a song for the guests, one of which happened to be a maintenance worker at Detroit’s 54 Sound (where Eminem famously recorded many of his albums). He vowed to get her in the studio, but she didn’t think anything would come of it. A few days later they received a call from owner Joel Martin, who quickly became their biggest champion.
Martin not only let Izzy record her debut EP at his prestigious studio, he also gave her free reign during the recording process. She pretty much lived at 54 Sound for a month, using every spare moment writing, recording, producing, mixing, and mastering songs. The result is 'Potato World' - a dizzying five-track project that invites the world into Izzy’s brilliant mind.
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