King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard’s Stu Mackenzie on “Butterfly 3000” and Their Incredible Fanbase

Often, when listening to the dense, lush, lively music of Australian band, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, the idea of people dancing mesmerized around a fire comes to mind. The group has a vast, at times cultish following that is borne from the band’s at times labyrinth-like songs. If a record was a menu, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard’s music would offer a cornucopia feast.

The group’s latest album, Butterfly 3000, which is out today, exhibits this signature baroque quality. But, unlike past records, the LP smiles more, instead of sneering or smirking. It’s more hopeful, made in a time when despair wasn’t hard to come by. We caught up with King Gizzard’s frontman and principle songwriter, Stu Mackenzie, to ask him about this tonal shift, how he first found music, and much more.