Their EP and first two albums, Willoughby's Beach (2011), 12 Bar Bruise (2012) and Eyes Like the Sky (2013), primarily blended surf music and garage rock, and were released on the band's independent record label, Flightless, founded by Moore in 2012. Their third to eighth albums—Float Along – Fill Your Lungs (2013), Oddments, I'm in Your Mind Fuzz (2014), Quarters!, Paper Mâché Dream Balloon (2015) and Nonagon Infinity (2016)—expanded their sound, including elements of film music, psychedelic rock, progressive rock, folk, jazz, soul and heavy metal.
In 2017, the band fulfilled a promise to release five studio albums within the year: Flying Microtonal Banana in February; Murder of the Universe in June; Sketches of Brunswick East, a collaboration with Mild High Club, in August; Polygondwanaland, which was released into the public domain, in November; and Gumboot Soup in December. The band released its fourteenth album, Fishing for Fishies, on 26 April 2019, followed by a fifteenth album, Infest the Rats' Nest, released on 16 August that year.
On the 19th of April they released their first feature-length film, concert movie "Chunky Shrapnel". Named after a lyric from the band’s 2017 song Murder Of The Universe, The film combines concert footage from the band’s 2019 European tour with documentary style-filmmaking of King Gizzard behind the scenes. While Chunky Shrapnel does also document the band offstage, the film’s director, Josh Angus Stewart, said that it prioritizes music over personalities.
Chunky Shrapnel was originally set to premiere at Melbourne’s Astor Theatre, before the Australian government closed cinemas nationwide to stem the spread of the coronavirus. The film was eventually released and finally available for 24 hours only on vimeo.
In all, throughout 2020, the band released several live albums, a concert film, a double compilation of demos, K.G. , their 16th studio album and a compilation of early singles and all the tracks on the Anglesea EP called Teenage Gizzard . In August, Eric Moore (the band's second drummer and manager) left the band to focus on running his record label, Flightless. In February 2021, the band released L.W., their third microtonal album, which was followed by the synth-based dream pop album Butterfly 3000 in June. These albums were released independently rather than on Flightless. The band's twentieth studio album, Omnium Gatherum, was released on 22 April 2022.
On 24 January 2023, the band released the official live bootleg Live At Red Rocks '22. The 86-track, eight-hour release documents the band's three-night run at the titular Red Rocks Amphitheatre. Several independent labels have created physical releases of the bootleg, including a 12-vinyl boxset and a CD/cassette run.
On 4 March of the same year, the band debuted a new song "Gila Monster" during a live performance in Tilburg in the Netherlands. Following that, on 7 May, the band announced their upcoming 24th studio album, PetroDragonic Apocalypse; or, Dawn of Eternal Night: An Annihilation of Planet Earth and the Beginning of Merciless Damnation via Instagram. According to bassist Lucas Harwood, PetroDragonic Apocalypse will be one of two upcoming albums that will have a "Yin and Yang" concept, stating that they are "going to be very different sounding to each other, but we're going to try to make them complement each other". The album's first single, "Gila Monster", was released alongside a music video an hour before the album pre-order opened on May 16 and the second single "Dragon" was released on June 6 with its music video. The band then went on tour throughout the United States to promote the album before its release by playing songs from the album other than the singles. One such performance on 3 June was at the Caverns in Tennessee where the band dressed in drag to celebrate Pride Night after a judge turned down a law that intended to ruled drag unlawful. Joey Walker told the crowd, "This ain't no protest, baby. This is a celebration!" PetroDragonic Apocalypse was released on 16 June.
The band members all grew up and went to school in the Deniliquin, Melbourne and Geelong areas. The band started off as a group of friends jamming together, before a mutual friend asked them to play at a show. The band's name was created "last minute". Mackenzie wanted to name the band "Gizzard Gizzard" while another band member wanted Jim Morrison's nickname "Lizard King". They eventually compromised with King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard. The artist Jason Galea has created all of the band's album art, and a majority of their music videos.
Kepler-22b
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Wanted to be an astronaut (astronaut)
So I could be alone in space (in space)
Get away, dreamt of Kepler-22b (get away)
That's the place for me (for me), woo
Didn't get the grades to be a NASA astronaut (oh no)
Couldn't knuckle down or focus on my schoolwork
To refract the light from distant stars (stars)
Then I built a telescope
So big (so big), pointed it at Kepler-22b
That's the place for me (for me), woo
Good for ya (for ya, for ya)
Obsession is good for ya, good for ya (ah)
Obsession is good for ya, ah
Can you guess the first thing I seen (I seen) on Kepler-22b?
A telescope pointing back at me (at me)
On Kepler-22b, a telescope pointing back at me (at me)
On Kepler-22b, a telescope pointing back at me (at me)
On Kepler-22b, a telescope pointing back at me (at me)
Woo, good for ya
Obsession is good for ya, good for ya
Obsession is good for ya (ah, woo), good for ya
Obsession is good for ya, good for ya
Obsession is good for ya, ah
The lyrics of King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard's "Kepler-22b" tell the story of a nerdy kid who dreamt of becoming an astronaut so that he could escape from his mundane life and be alone in space. Unfortunately, he did not make it to NASA due to his poor grades and inability to focus on his studies. Instead, he became a "ghetto engineer," making things out of glass to refract light from distant stars. He then built a massive telescope and pointed it towards Kepler-22b, a planet he dreamed of escaping to. To his surprise, he discovered a telescope pointing back at him, suggesting that there might be intelligent life on Kepler-22b.
The song is a commentary on the fascination with space and our desire to explore it. The singer's obsession with Kepler-22b shows how far humans are willing to go to find new places to call home and escape the mundanity of our daily lives. The line "obsession is good for ya" reinforces the idea that we should pursue our passions, regardless of the obstacles we may face.
Line by Line Meaning
Nerdy kid at school with astral thoughts
A student with a passion for astronomy and space-related ideas
Wanted to be an astronaut
Had a dream of becoming an astronaut
So I could be alone in space
Desired to escape from the world and be isolated in space
Get away, dreamt of Kepler-22b
Wished to visit Kepler-22b, an exoplanet located in the habitable zone of its star
That's the place for me (for me), woo
Believed that Kepler-22b was the perfect place to fulfill their desires and aspirations
Didn't get the grades to be a NASA astronaut (oh no)
Failed to acquire the necessary academic qualifications to join NASA
Couldn't knuckle down or focus on my schoolwork
Had difficulty concentrating and dedicating themselves to their studies
I became a ghetto (ghetto) engineer making shit (oh-oh) out of glass
Became a self-taught engineer who created useful items from unconventional or makeshift materials
To refract the light from distant stars (stars)
Created glass objects that capture and manipulate light from faraway celestial bodies
Then I built a telescope
Constructed a telescope to observe and study space
So big (so big), pointed it at Kepler-22b
Built a massive telescope to observe Kepler-22b's celestial events and phenomena
Good for ya (for ya, for ya)
It is beneficial for you to follow your obsession and passion
Obsession is good for ya, good for ya (ah)
Having an intense preoccupation with something can be positive for your well-being
Can you guess the first thing I seen (I seen) on Kepler-22b?
Rhetorical question asking the listener to imagine what they saw when they first observed Kepler-22b
A telescope pointing back at me (at me)
Claiming to have seen a surprise reflection of their own telescope on Kepler-22b
Woo, good for ya
Exclamatory phrase reinforcing the idea that obsession is beneficial
Obsession is good for ya (ah, woo), good for ya
Repetition of the idea that being obsessed and passionate about something is advantageous and rewarding
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Barney McAll, Nicholas Craig, Stu Mackenzie
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
kebab boi
Mad respect to anyone who made the music video. I can’t imagine how much time it took them to make this.
ian asquith
Lockdown
Captain Croozy
Alex McLaren and Sean McAnulty
Finn Thompson
Alex McLaren makes the best videos, check out the one for A Man in the Sand
Tom
Definitely more than an hour..
Alex Suarez
this band just does not disappoint, that bass-line was silkyyyy
Rock Cousteau
Silkyyyy smooth
Amber
👽
Robert Belchick
slick
Adam Ries
as a bassist and a mother, i cannot agree more.