With roots stretching from Deniliquin and Anglesea, adoptive Melbournians King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard are back with their staggering third full-length release in just over 12 months.
Given such little time between records, King Gizzard fans may be forgiven for approaching Float Along – Fill Your Lungs with some wariness. However, as the album’s 16-minute opening track, ‘Head On/Pill,’ swirls gloriously between dreamy, sitar-heavy melodies and energetic garage rock breaks, such trepidations are quickly put to bed.
Throughout the middle section of this eight-track effort, the group set about honing and improving on the garage-pop-punk hybrid sound that has quickly gained them a strong local fan base.
Cleverly crafted highlights such as the pared-back ‘God Is Calling Me Back Home’ and the appropriately titled ‘Pop In My Step’ show that the seven-piece’s song writing skills have hit previously unscaled heights, while ’30 Past 7’ typifies the psych-pop leaning that sets this album apart from the band’s earlier work.
While upholding King Gizzard’s typical lo-fi aesthetic, Float Along… presents Stu MacKenzie’s vocals with a higher prevalence in the mix, allowing the bandleader to step triumphantly out of the guitar-and-theremin-induced haze.
As with its opener, the album’s final, titular track acts as a fitting bookend, exemplifying the progression in craftsmanship and sound that see King Gizzard reach new heights with their third LP.
