LAMINATED DENIM

King Gizzard's style gets cleaner and tighter with every album they release, and Laminated Denim has certainly not been a departure from this trend. This album sounds like they were riding the jam waves from their last release IDPLML, but now added some core elements from Polygondwanaland.

-The Land Before Timeland 8/10: Telling a story of being freed from the curse of Timeland, the song begins with the slow and heavy beat of drums gradually fading into an uplifting lyric section. An immediate stand-out is the ear-catching atmospheres crafted throughout the song, accompanied by the chugging drums from Cavanagh as the rest of the band pulls out catchy wah-fueled jams from their pockets. The ending section brings me chills and seals together the entire song, at around 12 min the track breaks down to an increasingly darker, faster and louder trance until it suddenly fades to a huge foreboding wash of synth, a true callback to the prog masterpiece from 2017.

-Hypertension 8/10: Another great sonic atmosphere in this one, but with less of a centralized focus that pulls it all together. Looking at each instrument on its own however, this track is more technically impressive than its predecessor. The band's sound starting around 7 min is thoroughly spectacular, with Stu and Joey having some incredible harmonic passages where they seem to completely ascend. The drums similarly take off here, masterfully controlling the undulating flow of the jam - there are a number of sections where the vigor of the rides alone could carry the entire band. Perhaps my favorite elements in this one, the fuzzy guitars bring a colossal sound with them that creates the defining breaks in this track, with it all gradually rising and converging to a fulfilling energy release right at the end.

All in all, I do wish it had a darker undertone and more references to the Polygond storyline, but I will be coming back to this album frequently. If you enjoy hearing technical skills at work then I believe you will absolutely enjoy this album, if you've come for a strongly defined overarching concept and heavy hitting lyrics, then unfortunately you will not get as much out of this one.