After previously announcing the upcoming release of their 26th album, Flight b741, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard have shared its lead single, “Le Risque”, which features the vocal debut of drummer Michael “Cavs” Cavanagh.
Due out Friday, August 9th, Flight b741 is the first release on Gizz’s new (p)doom records imprint. The band took a new, stripped-down approach to the album with a focus on collaboration and feel in contrast to the group’s recent string of ambitious concept albums.
“We wanted to make something that was primal, instinctual, more ‘from the gut’,” said Stu Mackenzie, “just people in a room, doing what feels right. We wanted to make something fun.”
To achieve that goal, the band booked a week in and worked Monday to Friday, clocking in each day “like factory workers.”
“We came in with the roughest skeletons for songs, and tried to keep the arrangements simple, free and easy,” said Mackenzie. “The best takes were always the ones where we were winging it pretty significantly.”
The result is the group’s warmest and most intimate collection to date, showcasing the strength of the musical camaraderie that has developed between them over the past 14 years.
“This is our most collaborative record – the collaboration was occurring in the room, it was free, and everyone was bringing in songs and ideas,” said Mackenzie. “And we wanted to have as many lead vocalists as we could, and to pass the mic, like, ‘This is my part, my idea, I’m gonna sing it and then I’m gonna pass the mic along to you and you can do your thing’. The whole record is built around that. We ended up doing a lot of backing vocals and extra recording, everyone in a room around a couple of microphones, just to give it that feel.”
Even the lyrics were composed using a collective approach. “We had broad themes for every song, and for the bigger picture of the album as a whole,” Mackenzie explained, “but once the mic was passed it was all up to the person who was singing. These songs weren’t written in isolation – someone would write their verse, sing it for the demo, and that would inspire the next person’s part. So we were riffing off each other. Lyrically, it’s all pretty introspective – we’re having a lot of fun, but we’re often singing about some pretty heavy shit, and probably hitting on some deeper, more universal themes than usual. It’s not a sci-fi record, it’s about life and stuff.”
“The record is like a really fun weekend with your mates, you know?” Mackenzie concluded. “Like, proper fun.”
The album’s lead single, “Le Risque”, conveys that exuberance with an upbeat blues-rock shuffle and a string of verses combining the band’s multiple voices, including that of Mickey Cavs, who starts the song off with his first-ever lead vocals. The song arrived Tuesday along with an aviation-themed video directed by Guy Tyzack.
“We were super lucky to have been granted access to this amazing air hanger,” Tyzack said. “The song was chosen because most of the Gizz guys had a singing part and I was excited for the mic to be passed around at a fun, never stopping pace. The day was super packed tight for what we wanted to get and we didn’t want to cut corners. Our crew was tight and the Gizz guys know how to put on a show. We were so tight for time that I didn’t pee all day.”
Check out the music video for “Le Risque” bel0w, and click here to pre-save/pre-order Flight b741. Click below to view the full album tracklist.
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard are gearing up to embark on a major U.S. tour next month featuring three-hour marathon sets in New York, Chicago, Austin, and Quincy, WA, three headlining sets at Red Rocks Amphitheatre, and a show at The Forum in Los Angeles. The band also has a European Residency Tour scheduled for next summer. Click below for a list of upcoming tour dates, and visit the band’s website for tickets.
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard – “Le Risque” (Official Video)
The post King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard Preview 26th Album, ‘Flight b741’, With Rocking Lead Single, “Le Risque” [Video] appeared first on L4LM.
