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Chizi finds empowerment in pop on debut EP ‘Drive’

Spanning bubblegum melodies to dancey production, Chizi’s debut EP Drive is a love letter to both herself and pop music itself.  

Chizi has released her debut EP, a glittery collection of dance pop bangers titled Drive. The project opens with lead single Bad Habit, which sees Chizi compare a potential romance to an unkickable crutch. “I’m starting to turn you into a bad habit,” Chizi sings melodically atop bouncy production, which later makes way for a spacey synth sequence.

The singer’s giggly riffs and distinct vocals take centre-stage on Bad Habits, with lyricism so intimate it might’ve been scrawled in Chizi’s own diary. Meanwhile, on title track Drive, Chizi paints a portrait of love’s fantasy while acknowledging her own empowerment.

Chizi EP 'Drive'

After the storm, the hope comes,” Chizi sings with anthemic and semi-distorted vocals, “after falling in so deep.” Thunderous drums set the stage for Drive’s euphoric chorus, which makes use of subtle glitch production and sees Chizi revel in self-assuredness. “[Drive] represents a journey metaphorically of trying to get from one place to another mentally,” Chizi said of the title track in an accompanying statement. 

[It’s about] wanting to get away from your problems and eventually resolving them.” Chizi’s infectious confidence continues on third track Hit You Back, which pairs a pulsating and percussive-heavy bassline with ruminations on romantic wariness. Chizi adopts a quicker cadence in keeping with the song’s breakneck energy, as the singer decides whether her would-be beau “can be my medicine.” Hit You Back also features the cosmic synths that punctuate much of Drive’s remaining tracklist. 

Elsewhere, fourth track In My Mind finds Chizi at her most introspective, lamenting a dismissive partner and declaring her steadfast intention to “go and have a good time.” In between trap-leaning production, she delivers the track’s central refrain with a level of confidence that makes it impossible not to sing along. “You think you’re cooler than me,” the singer scoffs on the fade-out bridge, “You’re not in my mind.” 

Chizi EP 'Drive'

All these experiences are summarised on EP closer Underdog, a more experimental cut that sees Chizi introduce high-pitched and autotuned vocal riffs and blaring synths. Pure dance-pop euphoria, Underdog might feel equally at home on a Charli XCX record, though Chizi’s personal lyricism makes it wholly her own. It marks a fitting ending for Drive, which traverses through the reaches of Chizi’s sound — from bubblegum to electro — for a certified love letter to pop music. 

Chizi EP 'Drive'

While it marks Chizi’s first official project, the Leeds-based singer has elsewhere released a pair of standalone singles, with debut effort Resisting arriving in 2019 and XO the following year. Listen to Chizi’s debut EP Drive below.