Pizzagirl, or Liam Brown to give his off-screen name, has fine-tuned his hyperactive DIY-pop to an esoteric art. The result is technicolour debut album First Timer.
It’s a triumph in world-building and split-personality genre jumping that’ll have you bopping, laughing and crying before the closing credits. Introverted in daily life, Liam uses Pizzagirl as a flamboyant alter-ego – the tracks across the album are different costumes for him to wear, reflecting different moods and emotions, expressed as loose vignettes tied together as a complete whole.
It’s a triumph in world-building and split-personality genre jumping that’ll have you bopping, laughing and crying before the closing credits. Introverted in daily life, Liam uses Pizzagirl as a flamboyant alter-ego – the tracks across the album are different costumes for him to wear, reflecting different moods and emotions, expressed as loose vignettes tied together as a complete whole.
Across 10 songs he connects the dots between 80s John Hughes soundtracks and the oddball-pop flair of David Byrne or DEVO. The approach exemplifies a typical pop cultural magpie approach of Gen Z’ers.
First single Body Biology is inspired by the bubble, fizz and pop of campy science flicks, album opener Ball’s Gonna Keep On Rollin’ follows a roller-coaster search for showbiz and DDaytrip juxtaposes a colourful, jokey sonic template against dark themes of spiking someone with hallucinogens.
Irresistible earworm Dennis and Yesterday are a sunny, lackadaisical end to side-A, teaming up with side B opener library to provide a chirpy central trio. Thispartysux is an homage to Kelly Clarkson before Ugly and Cut and Paste bring the tone down, before blissful Goodnight, a duet with South Korean singer Aseul closes the book.
The live show is part one-man band exhibition, and part demob happy TV host veering dangerously off-script. Liam flicks easily between danceable funky pop jams, cheesy karaoke and touching, emotive song-writing, all whilst delivering surreal jokes and anecdotes.
