Press Play: Tame Impala

The Australian group, Tame Impala, have just released their latest album, Currents, and, as expected, it’s receiving high praise from those in the music industry for its evolutionary sound of the psychedelic pop rock genre.

Make no mistake about it, however, Tame Impala is a vehicle driven by the 29 year old, Kevin Parker, who grew up in Perth, Australia. Parker writes, records and produces all the music for the Tame Impala albums. A highly sought out band for shows and festivals around the world, when the group is touring, Parker employs a crew of usual suspects to play guitar, bass, drums and synthesizers to recreate his melodies on stage. Parker acts as the lead singer and guitarist when performing live. 

Currents, which just may be the best album of the year so far, is beautifully composed by Parker. Cleverly written, emotional, and catchy, are his lyrics over the course of the record. The soft use of drums in addition to a strong use of synthesizers help to make the album a thing of dreamlike, psychedelic brilliance. Fascinatingly, there is almost no presence of the guitar. Parker is well known for his use of poppy, straightforward guitar riffs. With this characteristic of his sound being almost non-existent on Currents, Parker substitutes it with elegantly placed bass strokes, showcasing his talents on that instrument as well. 

This album is really fueled, however, by various emotions burning inside Parker due to a recent breakup with his longtime musician girlfriend, Melody Prochet of France. Though he is the one who initiated the breakup, it nonetheless has been very impactful on his music. Lead off track and top single, “Let It Happen”, in addition to “Yes I’m Changing”, “Cause I’m a Man” and “The Less I Know the Better” highlight the breakup theme and it is of no coincidence that these songs are some of the best on the thirteen track album. This is perhaps why there are so little guitar riffs present during Currents. Parker’s disassociation with his girlfriend has now also caused some sort of breakup with his guitar. 

Parker is known by friends and colleagues as the ultimate perfectionist. His devotion to writing, recording and producing completely on his own caused the album’s two month delay. Fortunetly, the extensive time and emotional energy put forth by Parker truly shines, translating into deep, masterfully crafted music that will not soon be forgotten.