Fishing for Fishies

Fishing for Fishies was first teased by the band on 21 January 2019—over a year after the release of the last of their five 2017 albums, Gumboot Soup—when they posted a picture of themselves in the studio on social media with the caption "new music coming soon".^[5] Shortly afterward, they released the album's first single, "Cyboogie", as a 7" single with "Acarine" as the B-side, along with an accompanying music video.^[6]

In March 2019, details of the album were apparently leaked to webstores, including the album title, cover, and track listing, which included both "Cyboogie" and "Acarine", as well as the entire title track and minute-long previews of the other tracks. The band confirmed the leak on 11 March, officially announcing the album through social media.^[7] The next day, the title track was officially released as a music video on YouTube.^[8] The album's third single, "Boogieman Sam," was released on 28 March.^[9]

Regarding the album, band frontman Stu Mackenzie said, "We tried to make a blues record. A blues-boogie-shuffle-kinda-thing, but the songs kept fighting it—or maybe it was us fighting them. Ultimately though we let the songs guide us this time; we let them have their own personalities and forge their own path. Paths of light, paths of darkness. This is a collection of songs that went on wild journeys of transformation."^[3]

Sections of the album were recorded at a house owned by members of Tropical Fuck Storm. During these sessions, members of both bands recorded a large jam known as the "Hat Jam"—elements of which were later reused and incorporated into the first single of King Gizzard's 2022 album Omnium Gatherum, "The Dripping Tap", and Tropical Fuck Storm's joint EP with King Gizzard Satanic Slumber Party.^[10]

Shortly before the release of Fishing for Fishies, a short behind-the-scenes documentary titled How to Gut a Fishie was uploaded to YouTube by the band, showcasing clips of the recording sessions of Fishing for Fishies and Hat Jam.^[11]

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	73/100[12]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[13]
DIY	[14]
Exclaim!	8/10[15]
NME	[16]
Pitchfork	4.8/10[17]
Slant	[18]
Under the Radar	[19]

The album received mostly positive reviews, though Sophie Kemp of Pitchfork rated it 4.8 out of 10 and wrote that the album "is vaguely about the environment, but mostly about goofing off with expensive equipment in service to the concept of 'boogie oogie ooging'".^[17] NME rated it four stars, saying that the album was "their most accessible and immediate album to date".^[16] DIY's Connor Thirlwell gave the album three and a half out of five stars, noting that "King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard still know how to kick ass".^[14]

Vinyl releases have tracks 1–5 on Side A, and tracks 6–9 on Side B.

Credits for Fishing for Fishies adapted from liner notes.^[20]

• Stu Mackenzie – vocals (1–4, 6, 8, 9), electric guitar (1, 2, 4–6, 8), keyboards (1, 2, 6, 9), mellotron (1–3, 6–8), piano (3, 6–8), synthesizer (8, 9), organ (3, 5), bass (2, 3, 5–7), flute (3, 4, 8), drums (2, 8), vibraphone (5, 7), percussion (2, 8)
• Ambrose Kenny-Smith – vocals (1, 2, 4–6, 8), harmonica (1, 2, 4–8), mellotron (2), piano (6), keyboards (9), percussion (5, 6)
• Joey Walker – electric guitar (1, 5, 7), bass (2, 4, 6), synthesizer (7–9), keyboards (7), acoustic guitar (7), percussion (4), vocals (4, 7)
• Cook Craig – electric guitar (1, 2, 7), bass (1, 3, 5), synthesizer (9), vocals (4)
• Michael Cavanagh – drums (1–9), percussion (3–5, 7), vocals (4)
• Lucas Skinner – bass (5), synthesizer (9), shaker (4), vocals (4)
• Eric Moore – drums (1, 6)
• Han-Tyumi – vocals (9)