It's not every band that feels confident enough to completely change their sound on almost every album they release.
King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard have made a career of exploring new sounds, taking left turns, and doing the unexpected in glorious fashion. 2021's
Butterfly 3000 (their second of the year and approximately 500th album overall) is a deep dive into synthesizer-driven dream pop. The group built the songs around arpeggiated synth loops, adding drums, more synths, and the occasional acoustic guitar, then topped the mix with the most laid-back and sugary
Stu Mackenzie vocals to date. It's a warm bath of sound, and
King Gizzard apply it to some of their most peaceful, blissful, and hooky songs. There are hints of
Panda Bear at his poppiest, overt references to
the Beach Boys, and general vibes that can best be described as chill AF. It's a big change from some of their most recent work -- especially the thrash metal concept album about the death of the planet -- and it feels like the band have stepped out of a gloomy place and straight into a burning-hot summer afternoon. It may seem strange to say that about a record dominated by synthesized sounds, but the keyboards and loops are as bubbly as soda pop and as light as helium-filled balloons. Tracks like "Dreams" and "Yours" have a gently uplifting feel, "2.02 Killer Year" rambles merrily as the electronic oscillations and
Mackenzie's falsetto have a pillow fight, and "Ya Love" glitters like a coin reflecting the sun. Anyone fearing that all the breeziness means the band have lost their experimental edge will be mollified by songs like "Blue Morpho," which adds some hazy psychedelia to the mix, or "Black Hot Soup," which comes off like a blend of their acoustic albums and microtonal jaunts with a little bit of electric guitar noise added.
King Gizzard may have taken yet another creative leap, but as with all their other daring jumps into the abyss, they haven't left behind the questing spirit, sonic adventurism, and inspired songwriting. Anyone thinking that they might finally be running out of steam will have to readjust their timetables;
Butterfly 3000 is the work of a band with a million ideas and the skills to make them all work like a dream. In this case, a shiny, happy dream that leaves the sleeper feeling refreshed and at peace upon awakening. ~ Tim Sendra