Australian group King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard have announced the February 26 release of their seventeenth studio album, L.W. The album is said to be the band’s third volume of their explorations into microtonal tuning, which began with their fan-favorite 2017 album Flying Microtonal Banana. The band has released the first single from L.W., titled “Pleura.”
The Melbourne rockers follow up their 2020 predecessor K.G. with the new record, with which the album shares the track “K.G.L.W.” Having some extra time on their hands in 2020 and 2021, frontman Stu Mackenzie explains, allowed the band to “reset our brains, and try to figure out how to do different thing.” Intermingling between narratives in the albums can be expected, as the two projects originated from one. Mackenzie teased the album release date recently, telling fans that “King Gizzard’s new album is definitely not coming out in February.”
The “wild alchemy” of experimenting with modified instruments and middle eastern tunings, results in what is best described as “universal music.”
Listen to “Pleura” Here:
What begins as an electrified entanglement of guitar distortion soon becomes an entrancing and melodic track as listeners move through “Pleura.” The captivating blend is revelatory of the band’s hard work experimenting with sound and style. Mackenzie’s candid vocals bring a raw and rustic tone to the mix that fares well through the song’s many transitions.
As the song travels back and forth from chaos to composure, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard certainly achieve the “more colorful” sound they were hoping for in this new track, as previously scarce instrumentation is employed to bring in new elements.
Despite the recent postponement of their 2020 tour, the band has been keeping themselves busy recently, with the album closely following the release of Teenage Gizzard, 10-track retrospective of their work from 2010-2011 that came out earlier this month. The album also comes in close timing with the January reveal of the music video, directed by Alex Mclaren for their new song “O.N.E.,” as well as the release of their music video for “If Not Now, Then When?,” from L.W. They have recently announced dates for a 2021 tour beginning in October.
L.W. Tracklist:
1. If Not Now, Then When?
2. O.N.E.
3. Pleura
4. Supreme Ascendancy
5. Static Electricity
6. East West Link
7. Ataraxia
8. See Me
9. K.G.L.W
Leave a Comment