King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard
Some of Us
Flightless
King Gizzard are possibly the biggest modern cult band, a musical hydra that is grounded in psychedelic rock but dips its toes in everything from manic garage rock, progressive rock, boogie, and even thrash as on their last album, 2019’s Infest the Rat’s Nest. Their previous single Honey was a return to the pastoral folk-pop vibes of 2015’s release Paper Mâché Dream Balloon. For those fearing that the Gizz were headed for mellower climes, these fears are allayed by latest single Some of Us.
This sounds like a marriage between King Gizzard and Tool, and that’s a good thing. The band is letting their proggier inclinations fly, and the track’s droney, non-standard rhythms recall the knotty compositions on 2017’s Flying Microtonal Banana and Polygondwanaland. Frontman Stu Mackenzie’s vocals here are especially hypnotic, the comparison to Maynard James Keenan rather apt.
The band spices up their sound throughout, with a cool squiggly distorted guitar riff bookending the verses, and bubbling synths underpinning the whole thing. The track’s final minute is minimal, just echoes over ringing piano notes before everything breaks down into an open jazz-funk jam.
If it ain’t broke don’t fix it. This is an intriguing single that doesn’t flash any new tricks from the Gizz for once, but its constituent parts represent the band at their best.
MATIJA ZIVKOVIC
