In the years following the 2019 release of Infest the Rats’ Nest, many in the weirdo swarm were begging for more metal Gizz in the immediate future. While they had dabbled in the sound for their two microtonal albums from 2020-2021 as well as the often overlooked Professor of the Occult rescoring of Suspiria, the band wanted the next metal project to be different. Fans waited in anticipation of what this new album could sound like, and on October 30th, 2021 they heard what would be the next step for Gizzard’s metal sound. Described as using “Korn tuning” (drop B) and featuring instantly iconic riffs and winding instrumental passages, “Gaia” expands on their prior experimentation and forges ahead into new territory.
In Cavs’ drum seminar done at Drumtek in Northcote, he said the song was one of his favorites to play because it “started from the drumbeat and then everything else came after that.” He noted that this type of development is unusual for the band. A demo for the song was released as part of Demos Vol. 3: Music To Eat Pond Scum To. With a much slower pace and a drum machine beat, the instrumental demo attempts to get the main riff and idea of the song down, while also featuring what would end up being the song’s ending section. In the video The Making of Omnium Gatherum at 8:17, Stu is seen recording Joey’s vocals for the song while both are holding back laughter. The studio version of “Gaia” would be played by Cavs (drums), Cook (synthesizer), Joey (bass/guitar/vocals) and Stu (vocals/guitar). It was recorded, mixed and produced by Stu.
“Gaia” made its live debut on 2021-10-30 at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl in Naarm (Melbourne) as part of “Play On Victoria,” the first major concert in town since the COVID-19 lockdown. The lyrics to the track were shared the following day through the band’s Twitter page. Gizzard later teased the song with a single globe emoji on February 1st, 2022 as part of a guessing game for Omnium Gatherum’s track listing. It was guessed by twenty different users, although the user @chrastopheria got the first confirmation. “Gaia” was added to the ASCAP ACE Repertory sometime that same month. In March the studio version was teased in a promo for the Return of the Curse of Timeland festival on 2022-03-05, where the song was played with a drum solo. It was released as part of Omnium Gatherum on April 22nd, 2022.
While “Gaia” was never an official single for Omnium Gatherum, a limited edition “Lucky Rainbow” 7” single with a B-side of “Presumptuous” was sold on tour, with leftover copies going to the Gizzverse store. Only one thousand copies were pressed. Later that year it was repressed on “Orange Lava” vinyl and sold at the Forest Hills and St. Kilda record fairs with a very low number being pressed, about fifty to one hundred total.
“Gaia” (the composition and the word) has appeared in a few other Gizzard songs. Before the release of Omnium Gatherum, the title appeared on the L.W. opener “If Not Now, Then When?”. The song’s progressive metal sound would reappear on PetroDragonic Apocalypse and the track would be referenced two times. The ending chords of “Gaia” can be heard in “Motor Spirit” starting at 7:25 and the word is mentioned during the final verse of “Flamethrower.”
Early on the song was played close to the studio version with the added drum solo from Cavs. Throughout 2022 “Gaia” was in the regular rotation as a standalone track, never transitioning into any other songs. As the band began to promote PetroDragonic Apocalypse, however, they started to change what “Gaia” could be.
On 2023-04-01 at the Vintage Vibes Festival, the band pulled out “Gaia” > “Gila Monster” > “Gaia.” This would become a common combination in the following months. For the US residency tour the band pulled multiple “Gaia” > “Motor Spirit” > “Gaia” medleys. Some shows would see other songs added into the mix such as 2023-06-11’s “The Great Chain of Being” and the debut of “Dragon” on 2023-08-16. While “Gaia” would be played on its own that year, such as for Highway Holidays on 2023-03-01, it was far more common for it to be part of a longer, seamless medley. The song was again commonly paired with “Gila Monster” in the “Gaia” > “Gila Monster” > “Gaia” formation in early 2024, though they switched it up during their European tour with transitions into other material like “Flamethrower” as well as standalone performances.