We guess King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard finally got sick of fans asking them when they’re going to release another album already, because they finally pulled their fingers out and are about to drop album number eight, Nonagon Infinity, on 29th April.

After dropping the largely acoustic Paper Mâché Dream Balloon last year, the band revealed their eighth album would instead be an ambitious tribute to the heyday of heavy metal, with influences like Slayer and Motörhead and they’ve just unveiled the LP’s latest single.

After whetting our appetites with the raucous, fuzzed-out ‘Gamma Knife’, the band premiered ‘People Vultures’ just this morning via The Fader, accompanying the track, which is a similarly fuzzed-out but far more brooding affair than its predecessor, with a whacked-out but prudent statement.

As King Gizzard frontman Stu Mackenzie explained in an email to The Fader:

“Our blue planet is parched and cracks are forming underfoot and the sweat drips from our collective temple onto the citrine sand and a feathered doom encircles us from above and there’s a pulsing in our breast telling us there ain’t nothing any mere mortal can do when the sun retreats and blackness sets in. Call upon God to deliver us from our peril.”

In other words, ‘People Vultures’ is a raw meditation on the impact we meddling humans are having on the planet, with gripping lyrics like, “People vultures crowding at my door, parasites are eating even more” sung over a menacing guitar and organ interplay.

[include_post id=”473419″]

The band premiered ‘Gamma Knife’ last month alongside pre-orders for the vinyl edition of the new album. Just 1,500 copies were available for pre-order and the band managed to sell every single one in less than two hours, forcing them to release another 1,500 limited edition vinyl copies.

In addition to the healthy record sales, the band were also chuffed to get props from none other than Godfather of Punk himself Iggy Pop when the rock icon played two cuts from the band on his BBC Radio show, even offering up some kind words of appreciation for the band.

Get unlimited access to the coverage that shapes our culture.
to Rolling Stone magazine
to Rolling Stone magazine