Fishing For Fishies

About

On their 14th album, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard embrace a new change of pace. After a hectic 2017—where they released a total of five albums—the Melbourne seven-piece pumped the brakes a little in 2018, allowing the band to formulate a new, different approach to the album that would become <i>Fishing for Fishies</i>. The result is a significant shift away from the dynamic, psychedelic jams they’ve become known for, with the focus being on diverse yet rhythmically structured, contained songs. Previous concept albums from the group have focused on musical ideas and fantastical themes—all songs on <i>Quarters</i> were of equal length, and <i>Nonagon Infinity</i> can be played on an infinite loop. On <i>Fishing for Fishies</i>, they turn their focus to the environment, singing about plastic pollution and the overuse of technology. The striding “The Bird Song,” which is bright and mellow—a side they hadn’t shown since 2015’s trippy, folk-driven <i>Paper Mâché Dream Balloon</i>—is a reflection on the relational nature between humans and animals over jazzy piano pop. That said, it’s clear that King Gizzard have one thing on their mind: having a boogie. In fact, they think dancing is so nice they named it such, thrice: “Boogieman Sam,” “Plastic Boogie,” and “Cyboogie” are groovy romps through hard rock, barroom hijinks, and proggy space rock, respectively.

via Apple Music