“Deep Inside Your Mind” from Dizzy Box Nine

As cool as the Chuck Taylors that will be tapping while you listen, “Deep Inside Your Mind” from Dizzy Box Nine takes the listener on a different pop rock odyssey than you can imagine. This trio is on a mission to explore the deeper levels of rock guitar and solid drumming. Mission accomplished in the oh-so-cool “Deep Inside Your Mind”.

Revved up guitars lift the steady uninhibited vocals. Lead singer and guitarist Randy Ludwig sings with refined gusto. His voice is a bit shy, but firm. He’s not about to go whaling and screaming, and I think he stays within his range. That same trust is found with bandmates Tony Robles (also on guitar) and drummer Ryan Gio. The Southern California trio’s foundation is bred from the L.A. club circuit. Their sound is polished, but not so shiny you lose sight that they are a rock band. This band isn’t fabricated in the studio – “Deep Inside Your Mind” has elements of club grit and grease. It kicks harder just at the right times, and idles with the motor still running in between.

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Don’t you stand so close, I want you the most, Ludwig sings, re-assuring his affections. Is he convincing himself or the listener? Is he full of doubt or full of confidence? This line reminds me of being with someone that has depression and anxiety issues. That person is always lost in their mind, stuck in a loop of sorts. Maybe this is what the band is singing about – wanting to dive into the mind of someone close and help. Perhaps he wants to change the insecurities and the apprehension they hold deep in her mind. He’s yearning for something bigger and brighter, but he doesn’t want it to come to easily, he wants to work for it, because he knows that the journey holds something more powerful than the end result. The frustration, mostly embezzled into the guitar riffs, is mild, but there’s an undercurrent of exasperation. The drums are a bit more subdued, but the tension and give and take is still present. I think there’s more sophistication going on in the guitar riffs that one can determine in one listen. Dig deeper, the chord structure and texture is quite awesome. Same goes for the percussion – the motion in the drum work is interesting and weaves around the guitar and lyrics in a unique way. This rock song keeps the American rock ground fertile, the soil is ready for a band like Dizzy Box Nine. I also think this song would sound pretty wicked acoustic. They have the material with this track, along with their previous efforts, to break through to the mainstream.

Dizzy Box Nine formed in 2016. They made their debut album in 2017 with Electric Illusion. Just two years later, Pop Fantasy gleaned the radio-friendly tracks “Anytime, Anyplace”, “I Won’t Let You Down” and “Rosie”. “Deep Inside Your Mind” is from the 2020 full-length Faster Than Anticipation. The band’s press materials note the new album has 14 songs total. Similar bands tagged on their Bandcamp page include Gin Blossoms, The Cars and Tom Petty.

Nicole Killian