As predicted, face melting begins at track one with ‘Elbow’ introducing reverb to every pore in your body.
The female vocals on ’12 Bar Bruise’ match a welcome slower tempo, but it is ‘Sam Cherry’s Last Shot,’ that really stands out. Sounding like Johnny Cash’s voice reciting the Bible for ‘The Man Comes Around,’ it plays out like a cult leader describing a hallucination.
The passage is actually from a western novel, and read by Harmonica player Ambrose Kenny-Smith’s Dad (Brod Smith from ‘70s band The Dingoes) but tapping into the mystique of the song provides a sharper experience, so suspend belief and imagine like you have come across that dead cowboy and his horse.
‘High Hopes Low’ brings back the signature guitar-in-a-blender sound of King Gizzard, and ‘Uh Oh I Called Mum’ plays out every acid-tripping festival-goer’s worst nightmare.
It is about time some genuine shenanigans were got up to by a band instead of concentrating on posing for the best album cover (King Gizzard’s album artwork looks like it eats such sissy album covers for breakfast, nomm nomm nomm), and songs like ‘Sea of Trees’ at least help you feel part of the fun.
The larrikin commentary in last song ‘Footy’ is over much too soon, in fact the album is over much too soon, but really it’s all just a kick in the pants to go out and see them live anyway (preferably at The Nash).
– Hannah Joyner
