King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard say new album ‘Changes’ is “the most complex we’ve ever done”
King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard have shared their thoughts on their freshly-dropped album ‘Changes’, saying their 23rd studio effort is “the most complex we’ve ever done”.
The rock band spoke of ‘Changes’ — out today (October 28) — during an interview as the cover stars of NME Australia’s October 2022 issue, where bandmate Joey Walker elaborating on the album’s intricate composition. “On a theory level, [‘Changes’] was actually the most complex we’ve ever done,” Walker told NME.
“Each song has a handful of chords, simple major, minor chords. Instead of being based in a key and moving around chords related to that key, every time we change to a chord, the whole key changes. If anyone’s familiar with John Coltrane’s ‘Giant Steps’, it’s that.”
Walker went on to explain how the complexity of ‘Changes’ — which was previewed by the single ‘Hate Dancin”— prevented the band from feeling like the album was ever truly finished. “We just wanted to get it out of our shit and into the ether, and not have to think about it anymore,” Walker said.
Elsewhere in the interview, King Gizzard discussed the lyrics themes of ‘Changes’, which formed part of the band’s trilogy of October releases following ‘Ice, Death, Planets, Lungs, Mushrooms and Lava’ and ‘Laminated Denim’ earlier this month. “You can’t help but be pessimistic about it,” Walker said of the album’s apocalyptic bent.
Further elaborating on the album’s references to climate change, Walker said: “It seems like the hill is too steep now. But fuck, like, we’re not walking around being shattered about humanity potentially ending. You’d just be really unhappy.” For his part, bandmate Ambrose Kenny-Smith added: “It’s constructive, I think. Being playful with it.”
King Gizzard elsewhere discussed the speed of their album releases which, on top of their October trilogy, also saw them release two additional records in 2022: the physical edition on ‘Made in Timeland’ in March and ‘Omnium Gatherum’ the following month. “[Frontman Stu Mackenzie] makes music insanely fast, without being a perfectionist,” drummer Michael Cavanagh said, “We make the music and if we’re super pumped on it, it’s ready to be put out.
“Plus, if something is shit and no one likes it, you just put out another one the next month.”
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Tom Disalvo
NME
