Quarantunes: A playlist by Bizou

Kevin Bronson on April 5th, 2020

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Bizou’s second EP arrives Friday, and, yes, they know it’s “a weird fucking time to be putting out a record.” Singer Marisa Prietto confesses to be experimenting with some “DIY kitchen witch potions” in today’s edition of the Buzz Bands LA interview/artist playlist series QUARANTUNES.

THE LATEST FROM BIZOU

This week will bring the release of the second EP from L.A. quintet Bizou, who debuted in 2018 and cultivate a gothy, shoegaze sound with enough pop sensibility that in another era you could have heard them on MTV’s “120 Minutes.” The EP, titled “Stillifeburning,” is the work of four musicians with a long list of bona fides: singer Marissa Prietto (Wax Idols, Glaare), multi-instrumentalist/producer Josiah Mazzaschi (Light FM), Nicole Fiorentino (The Cold and Lovely, and former bassist for Smashing Pumpkins and Veruca Salt) and guitarist Nicki Nevlin (Light FM). It’s “a weird fucking time to be putting out a record,” acknowledges Prietto. “If you could dive into the subconscious of another person totally separate from you, as if through a trapdoor — that to me would describe the feeling of these songs.” Here’s the first single “Crashing Sky”:

HOW ARE YOU HOLDING UP AND WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO MANAGE THE ‘STAY AT HOME’ EDICT?

Marisa Prietto: I’ve spent most of my adult life vacillating wildly between periods of going out way too much and near-total reclusion, so I’m doing surprisingly well with having to stay home. I feel extremely lucky to have a physical place to shelter. I’ve been neurotically applying every conceivable DIY kitchen witch potion to my face like improving my complexion is going to somehow save me from an even darker future timeline (plot twist: it won’t!). I have everything set up to make music, but it’s a passive and honestly directionless thing for the moment. Outside of that I’ve been doing what everyone else has been doing, panicking, suppressing panic, telling everyone to not pay their rent, worrying about my parents, FaceTiming with my parents / friends, repeat. I don’t think we have to force ourselves to be creative or productive during this time. We don’t have to maximize our human capital value right now, or ever. Basically if you’re staring at the wall with a bottle of wine and a straw, on the phone with your mom, keep doing what you’re doing, it’s completely right.

WHAT ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO WHEN THIS IS OVER?

Marisa Prietto: The thing I’m most excited about is being able to see my loved ones in person again. I can’t actually think of anything better than that right now.