Half a decade in the making

Australian artists King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard release their fifth album of the year in an artistic expression that’s been half a decade in the making. Changes is an album that was conceived in 2017 but as the creative process stalled, the album kept being put on hold for other projects. The changes made to the pieces throughout the year started permeating in the idea behind the album. Constantly changing scales and keys throughout the years led to the name of the album and lyrical theme. As producer and artist Stu Mackenzie said when describing the theme of the album, “I’ve been going through some changes.” 

The album works as a theme and variation with a return to form at the end. While the main idea of each song is based on the original chord progression and two scales in “Change,” each individual piece strays further away from the original idea. For instance, the next song “Hate Dancin” is reminiscent of the previous, yet the songs get more out of the box throughout the musical journey.

On the third track, “Astroturf,” Mackenzie plays a flute solo which adds a light jazzy atmosphere. By the time the album reaches “Gondii,” the psychedelic synth is pulsing with an energy that wasn’t present earlier. Eventually as the album reaches its conclusion, the final song acts as a reprise for the first track. Titled “Short Change” the track acts as a distillation for the entire album. It begins with this intense acoustic wall of music, in line with the variations before it, but it soon returns to the original theme and chord progression, and even copies an entire verse from the first track.

The album keeps the group’s wacky energetic musical nature, while also being an album that a more casual listener could find enjoyment. It truly feels like five years of fine-tuning in the best way.