King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard – Grow Wings and Fly

King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard’s Grow Wings and Fly finds the ever-prolific australian psych-rockers trading fuzzed-out riffs for something more delicate – lush orchestration and major-key optimism. The track, from their upcoming 27th(!) album Phantom Island, shows the band’s softer side while maintaining their signature eccentricity. Ambrose Kenny-Smith’s vocals float over swirling strings and pedal steel, delivering lyrics about transcendence that somehow avoid cliché. The production, aided by classical arranger Chad Kelly, gives the song an expansive quality without losing the band’s DIY charm. It’s a surprising but welcome direction from a group that once seemed determined to melt faces – proof that even after 26 albums, they’re still finding new ways to surprise.