King Gizzard give away their record, Polygondwanaland for free, including Jason Galea’s artwork templates

2017 has been a year of King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard keeping their fans on their toes. At the beginning of 2017 the Australian seven piece announced they would release five records over the course of the year. Earlier this week the band declared that everything about the fourth record, titled Polygondwanaland, would be completely free to own, use and manipulate, including a toolkit of long-time collaborator Jason Galea’s artwork.

“This album is FREE. Free as in, free. Free to download and if you wish, free to make copies. Make tapes, make CDs, make records,” the band wrote in a Facebook announcement on Tuesday morning. Rather than just downloading the album, King Gizzard have offered a range of options for fans to listen to the record and use Jason’s artwork anyway they choose.

Fans can download digital masters and artwork as high quality mp3s and resolution images, or press their own CDs by downloading “the DDP master and CD Artwork template” as a zip file. “This master has the track list, ISRC codes & metadata embedded. In this zip file you will also find a folder with a CD template, front cover art and extra artwork for back cover, inner tray, spine and booklet that you will need to put together yourself.” Users can also create their own vinyl master of Polygondwanaland which is “a completely separate master to CD and digital masters,” the band explain. In the zip file for the vinyl is also “a folder full of artwork ideas you can use to make your own back cover, spine and inner sleeve”. The band have also suggested it is possible to create your own cassette “I don’t really know what you would do,” explain King Gizzard. “Be creative. We did it once but it sounded really shit.”

Jason’s album cover making toolkit includes found imagery of lizards to collage, his own artwork for the record, Tiff files of the typefaces that have featured on previous King Gizzard record sleeves, photographs of the band to use, and templates to make your own vinyl sleeves.

The record because available to download at 9am Friday 17 November AEDT or 10pm on 16 November GMT on the band’s website, however at time or writing the website has crashed due to demand. “There is no email sign up, no commitment, no catch. FREE. FREE. FREE,” say King Gizzard. “Ever wanted to start your own record label? Go for it! Employ your mates, press wax, pack boxes. We do not own this record. You do. Go forth, share, enjoy.”