Melbourne psych-rockers/garage rockers/synth-poppers/occasional spaghetti westerners King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard have released the second single from their upcoming new album Omnium Gatherum, entitled “Magenta Mountain” alongside a live music video for the tune. The new song follows along from the record’s lead single “The Dripping Tap”, which clocks in at a whopping eighteen minutes. You can listen to the single on all streaming services, and the music video can be seen below.
“Magenta Mountain” is a hypnotic tune, punctuated by a driving drumbeat and enveloped in the sounds of warm, whimsical synths. The vocals are very characteristic of past releases, featuring hazy, half-whispered singing, contrasted by soaring falsetto. Member Ambrose Kenny-Smith said of the song, according to a recent press release: “You know when you have a really weird vivid dream and it sticks with you like glue? One day I came into the studio and Stu was trying to write one of them down. He kept banging on about this paradise called Magenta Mountain that he had seen but none of us believed him. Every day since then he’s been still trying to convince us all that it’s real and one day he will.”
King Gizzard and the Liard Wizard are a band who have never shied away from long, winding pieces of music (one only has to look back to 2013’s Float Along/Fill Your Lungs to hear this), however “The Dripping Tap” saw the band releasing their longest song to date and fully leaning into the “jam band” vibe.
Speaking on Omnium Gatherum as a whole, guitarist and vocalist Stu Mackenzie said, according to a press release: “This recording session felt significant. Significant because it was the first time all six Gizzards had gotten together after an extraordinarily long time in lockdown. Significant because it produced the longest studio recording we’ve ever released. Significant because (I think) it’s going to change the way we write and record music – at least for a while… A turning point. A touchstone. I think we’re entering into our ‘jammy period’. It feels good.”
Omnium Gatherum will be the prolific Melbourne band’s twentieth album since their formation in 2010, following on from last year’s gorgeous, synth-rich full-length Butterfly 3000. Over the years, the band has explored many genres, including synth-pop, psychedelic rock, garage rock, thrash metal and even spaghetti western music with their 2012 album Eyes Like The Sky. The band has gone great lengths to experiment during their career, most notably using modified instruments that allowed the band to play microtonally (i.e. notes between notes), therefore allowing them to greatly explore their Eastern music influences.
King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard will also be embarking on a huge number of shows across multiple continents this year. Full show and ticket information can be viewed here.
Photo Credit: Jason Galea/Press Release
