King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard

Total sonic overhauls are a longstanding signature for King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, who often set themselves playful new challenges with each album. Formed in Melbourne in 2010, the prolific collective made their name with saturated garage-psych before devoting entire records to jazz fusion, thrash metal, synth-pop, folk and other specific styles. That dogged experimental spirit runs beyond the music itself: 2016’s Nonagon Infinity was designed to be playable in one endless loop, while 2017’s copyright-free Polygondwanaland was dispersed with an invitation for fans to press their own records of it. The band even released five albums in 2022 alone. Yet for all of that chameleonic flux, there are certain throughlines that keep King Gizz appealing to longtime fans, including the ability to slip into lockstep marathon grooves and change gears with only a moment’s notice. Unflagging vocalist Stu Mackenzie is another recognizable constant, even when he dabbles in rapping on 2023’s EDM-inspired “Set”.