It’s a big day in new music, with Kevin Parker’s immense psychedelic behemoth Tame Impala dropping new music. An essential of festival junkies and arts students in Doc Martens, Tame Impala are a unique band that have produced some of the best modern indie bangers of recent times (I don’t own Docs but I still consider myself a stalwart fan).
Known for blending disco, psychedelic, grunge and house into an indie forward dish, Parker is a visionary with the music he produces. His last release under the Tame Impala moniker was in 2015, with the critically acclaimed Currents. Featuring hits such as The Less I Know The Better, it earned a second Grammy nomination and put Tame Impala on the global map.
Hailing from Perth in Australia, they have achieved a lot. I saw them play Glastonbury Pyramid Stage a few years back an they were incredible, both acoustically and visually, as they take pride in trippy visuals to compliment the psychedelic ambience of their discography. On top of this, as if proof were needed of their disruptive approach to music genres, you need only look at their list of collaborations. Travis Scott, A$AP Rocky, Lady Gaga and Kanye West just start to scratch the surface, and I think it is this diversity that draws me to them as a band so much. I am a big advocate of adventurous, bold records that don’t accept what has gone before and push boundaries, and a lot of those records and bands have been featured on this blog.
The track itself deserves a break down (obviously, that is what the blog is for). Subdued and classy is how I’d describe it, with a warm mixture of synths, drums and bass riffs sewn together with a beautiful piano piece. It has flecks of disco and 90s house that make for a wonderfully nostalgic feel that, in emphatic Tame Impala style, is modernised and makes you wonder how on earth you survived this long without this precise blend of sounds. The verses and chorus roll into on another on a bed of zingy phasers, which will be no surprise to those still bumping Currents loud and proud.
Four years away, and as Kevin Parker asks “Has it been even that long” as the song blossoms into life, it feels as though they haven’t gone anywhere. Bring on the new album.
Spotify Playlist Link: https://spoti.fi/2CKuVex
A Song A Day 