With this release, Paper Mâché Dream Balloon, being the band’s seventh album, they’re getting pretty close to double digits. If album’s were parallel to human life, I’d say with this seventh release, they’ve come out of the teen years and stepped into the experimental years of their 20s. Lately the band have been producing somewhat dark and heavy material, but with this album comes a notable change. Done on nothing but acoustic instruments, it’s free-spirited, yet connected and experimental.
In the 12 tracks you’ll notice a few new instruments, as the band members picked up the clarinet, double bass, cello and other instruments they’d never played before. Opening number ‘Sense’ is soothing and slowly fades away as the rest of the album comes to the forefront. ‘Bone’ is a highlight for sure. It’s instantly uplifting and has the excitement heard in many songs throughout the ’70s. That ’70s-esque feel flows in and out through the album, but experimentalism is at the forefront of everything King Gizz seem to do. The music they create isn’t about appeasing fans, it’s simply to try something new, push their own boundaries and keep excitement throughout the whole process. Well, they’ve got me excited about this one.
Out via Flightless/Remote Control Records
Reviewed by Amanda Sherring