King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard - Phantom Island Review
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King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard have reached the point where each new record feels like a fresh roll of the dice. Twenty seven albums in, they still chase new sounds with real curiosity. That sense of risk keeps things alive. It also makes the catalog harder to parse, a dense sprawl that resists neat eras or easy summaries.
This latest LP leans into roots rock and Southern textures again, but with a heavier hand on arrangement. Strings, horns, and woodwinds thread through nearly every track, thanks to composer Chad Kelly. The idea makes sense on paper. Gizzard have pulled off sharper turns than this. Here, the results land unevenly.
Some songs click right away. “Deadstick” bursts out with swagger. Big brass, tight riffs, group vocals that stick. It feels loose and focused at the same time, which is not easy. “Aerodynamic” takes a slower route and pays it off. The chords breathe, the melody settles in, and the song opens into a warm, road worn groove that fits the band well. The closer works too. Motorik pulse, patient build, and arrangements that actually deepen the groove instead of crowding it.
Elsewhere, the balance slips. “Eternal Return” and “Lonely Cosmos” stack lush strings on top of twangy rock in a way that never quite locks. The parts compete for space. The endings drift. You can hear the ambition, but the songs lose shape.
“Panpsych” has great playing. Guitar lines snap, percussion swings, the flute adds color. Then the vocals arrive and keep talking. This record leans hard into dense, idea heavy lyrics. The band circles big themes about consciousness and existence, trading lines between voices. The approach pushes the melodies out of the way. Hooks fade. Momentum dips. “Spasick” runs into the same wall. Grand staging, constant narration, not much to hold onto once it ends.
That tension defines the album. The band reaches for scale and detail, yet the songwriting often asks for restraint. When they keep it tight, the material shines. When they pile it on, the songs blur.
Phantom Island still has plenty to like. The playing stays sharp, the palette expands, and a few tracks rank with their most fun in years.
