Oshawa Indie Act Dizzy Share Intense boy wonder Directed Music Video “Barking Dog”
Oshawa based indie-pop group Dizzy have released a new single and accompanying music video, “Barking Dog.” A somber reflection around the motto, “don’t beat yourself up, kid,” the track is born out of vocalist Katie Munshaw’s lament for her family dog that suffered abuse prior to the family’s ownership.
A melancholic indie ballad, “Barking Dog” begins with atmospheric synths, then steadily builds to a peak packed with fuzzy guitars and dreamy backing vocals. Working outside of the traditional song structure with the evolution of each mantra-like chorus, Dizzy brings forward a unique track that sounds both synonymous with their earlier work and takes a step in a new direction. About the track, Munshaw reveals that “this song is mostly about how we’re all just products of our youth; doomed in various ways none of us asked for.”
Munshaw describes the process of shooting the video as something cathartic, born out of the original thesis and an off the wall idea. “The “Barking Dog” video is a play on the saying “don’t beat yourself up, kid” which is basically the thesis of the song. Our director [boy wonder] was like “what if you just punched yourself in your face for 3 minutes straight?” and I was like “Fuck it, why not?” We shot visuals for 4 songs total the day we shot the…video, but we saved it for last purposely. We were both exhausted in a way that felt loopy and right. Most of the crew had gone home for the night so it was just us two in this little weird bathroom ready to rumble. We did three takes and by the end of it all I was pretty teary. I don’t know that I will ever forget being in that bathroom with my pal feeling very safe and understood while simultaneously scared of my own feelings. 10/10 would punch myself in the face again.”
Where the mask might make viewers feel uneasy and uncomfortable, it brought the opposite for vocalist Katie Munshaw. She explains that “when it was time to discuss visuals for the album I had serious anxiety about being on camera. I find it strange how musicians are often introverted people yet one of the largest parts of our job is visually selling ourselves to an audience. It feels unnatural to pine for strangers’ attention to afford rent or whatever, and as someone who’s particularly sensitive it isn’t sustainable. To me the mask not only represents a calloused version of myself but it lends itself to an anonymity that I love. A Jane Doe of sorts. I like the idea of a female artist making the conscious decision to take her appearance out of the question for the audience.”
Watch below:
