King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard HHV Records 80 Items

The band with the mission Vinyl

With their extensive forays into various genres, a massive discography within just a few years, untamed multi-hour live shows, a loyal fan base, and an unmistakable frontman, the Australian band King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard are setting milestones in modern Psychedelic Rock. The seven-member group led by singer and songwriter Stu Mackenzie embarked on their collective journey in 2010 after the members met each other in Melbourne, partly during their music studies – now it was time to put their learning into action. So, the young band gathered for extensive jam sessions and played their psychedelic noise-rock at every imaginable gig they could get. Initial songs were recorded in the studio, with methods as eccentric as their music: instead of microphones, several iPhones were used for Stu Mackenzie’s vocals. Their first full-length album, 12 Bar Bruise, was released in 2012, and since no label was found for distribution, drummer Eric Moore set up his own label – Flightless – which would release all of the Lizard Wizard’s records in the coming years and later become the home for Australian talents like Amyl and the Sniffers. From the beginning, their mission was vinyl, even though the pressings were small, and the big indie hype was yet to come: King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard were serious about their 60s nostalgia.

Between Thrash Metal, Folk, and Boogie

The band’s catchy noise sound was interrupted by their second album, Eyes Like The Sky, in 2013 – Mackenzie & Co. didn’t want to be pigeonholed and created a Wild West audiobook with musical accompaniment. They returned to their psychedelic elements with Float Along – Fill Your Lungs and Oddments, the latter of which gave the band their most-streamed song, Work This Time, in 2014. King Gizzard once again bridged the gap between heartfelt compositions with universal pop appeal and their love for vintage sound. World tours were now part of their daily life, but the creative collective remained committed to their unbroken productivity in the studio. Their ever-expanding repertoire often revolves around virtuoso concepts – Quarters! in 2015, for instance, consisted of four tracks of exactly the same length which delved into jazzy jam sessions. The members are effortlessly switching between Progressive Rock, Thrash Metal, Folk, and Boogie without losing focus, and due to their boundless creativity, the band’s agenda included releasing five albums in 2017.

Climate Politics and Homemade Instruments

King Gizzard are remaining true to their roots by continuing to release their recordings on Bandcamp – that’s where they initially found their first fans. They eventually made Polygondwanaland and a number of live albums available for download on their website and are encouraging fans and indie labels to create their own bootleg pressings. The group also organized their own festivals, and albums like the 2019 conceptual work Infest the Rats’ Nest reflect the band’s environmental concerns with the line “There is no planet B” in the very first track. With albums like Flying Microtonal Banana and K.G., the Lizard Wizards even explored the musical dimensions of microtonality using self-built instruments, something previously uncharted in Western rock. In Butterfly 3000, released in 2021, the band walked on Dream-Pop terrain for the first time, and new hip-hop influences can be found in Omnium Gatherum in 2022 – the same year, they released four more albums. The band‘s overall motto is by no means subtle: “If something is shit and no one likes it, you just put out another one the next month.” But their philosophy never affects the quality of their albums, as the experimental enthusiasts have proven time and time again.