Phantom Island is, as it stands, spectral in its possible release. Who knows when or where the album will land. All we have is the title track. That is enough, for now. King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard continue their prolific stretch and to think Flight b741, their only release of last year, marks a quiet but exceptional period of creativity, is monumental. This is a band where experimentation with sub-genres of rock is not only exciting, but now expected. They are rattling through with some wonderful form and a break, more than anything, is deserved. We can clamour for Phantom Island as much as we want, for as long as it takes, but we must wait, and patiently so. Their title track is a marvellous pursuit of fresh ideas. We have come to expect nothing less and King Gizzard, once again, exceeds expectations.
Rare it may be to hear a song with an album’s worth of ideas tucked in, Phantom Island is exactly that. A dream-like start, a prog-like finish, and somewhere in the middle is the subtle transition which pairs these moments together with a cool, effortless finish. King Gizzard remains staggering as an outfit, not because of their range in creativity but because of the consistency they present. Phantom Island is a remarkable effort because of what the band has achieved thus far, how menacing they can still sound, how important their instrumental fury still is and how they hold it all together. From the swaying, catchy introduction, strings and all, to the rampage heard later in the track, Phantom Island stands tall as a well-layered powerhouse. One of many in the band’s discography, the dreamlike structure and the pursuit of breaking from it and reclaiming your mind make for a wonderful message backed by their usual instrumental prowess.
A few listens later and the spots are more obvious, the tempo change recognisable and yet it remains a liberating thrill of a listen. This is a likely outline of what is to come should Phantom Island ever find itself released. This year is the likely moment for it, and the momentum still carried by those brass and string-reliant tones on its title track is still flying high. Its latter half, after the dream is shattered and the real world comes into focus, is a sweet continuation but does away with the soft, jazz-like improvisation heard at the start. Truly a song of two halves, and a welcome change of pace for the band after so much time exploring the sub-genres of rock.
Their exploration is far from over but the endurance of a track like Phantom Island bases itself on what the band has learned and gained over the last decade. An up-tempo charge towards the end is welcome though those softer tones, the flourishes heard at the beginning of Phantom Island are a real achievement. Even then, the fresh tones of this possible new album pair well with the older material King Gizzard has released. Those early days of prog-adjacent sounds, the instrumental overlap it caused and the sense of spontaneity in the tone taken, it all comes together again for Phantom Island. An exceptional piece of work, though what else would you expect from the band?
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