Phantom Island

With its strings, horns and woodwind corralled into transformative shapes by Brit orchestrator Chad Kelly, the result leaves behind its predecessor’s heads-down retro-rock for a more expansive, if introspective offering. [Aug 2025, p.104]

Its 10 songs are bombastic, unabashed boogies, each one stacked with layer upon layer of symphonic volume. [Summer 2025, p.73]

It’s another reinvention from the prolific outfit, a joyous ten-track delight, just in time for (our) summer.

King Gizzard made sure every guest felt welcome without sacrificing their true range. While Phantom Island is a consistent and stadium-sized effort, each song feels like its own little universe of musical solace to get lost in.

A dense, cosmic country, limber astro-funk and psychedelic pop record, it might be KGATLW's finest to date. [Jul 2025, p.80]

The addition of Chad Kelly's orchestral arrangements to the band's initial recordings strikes decisive new ground. [Jul 2025, p.30]

Phantom Island is a mature reflection on grappling with success. Musically, King Gizzard may never step foot in the same stream twice, but it's clear they're here for each other wherever the current takes them.

Phantom Island is a beautiful album that occasionally misses the mark lyrically. The album’s big sound and intense optimism offer a lot of brightness to take in. But anyone listening to a band called King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard should not expect subtlety.

Phantom Island is freewheeling and ambitious, and mostly admirable for it. Pared back slightly, it might have been truly absorbing.

While some tracks like Panpsych and Eternal Return remain lost at sea – the latter's lurching tempo is a bit of an auditory mess – KGLW's experimentation with brass, strings, and woodwind definitely hits more than it misses. Drawing together calamity and fortune in a novel way, 15 years in, Phantom Island shows a band still having fun making music together.