Kevin Parker, the Australian hitmaker better known by his moniker Tame Impala, is a do-it-all musical guru who has found a way to blend the pop sensibilities of Paul McCartney, a John Lennon vocal falsetto, and the psychedelic spark of Pink Floyd into a cocktail that fit in but stood out among the indie-rock and electro-pop scenes of the 2010s. His 2015 album “Currents” is a classic among millennials, with tracks like “The Less I Know The Better,” “Let It Happen,” and “New Person, Same Old Mistakes” racking up billions of streams across platforms and dominating Spotify Wrapped Instagram stories, even years later.
Like all musicians, though, Parker’s output as Tame Impala is subject to change, and his latest album “Deadbeat” has drawn some polarized responses across the internet and from critics alike. Lead single “End of Summer” was noted for its more EDM-forward sounds, while his later singles were widely regarded as fun but less complex than some of his earlier work. And that may be true, but these songs still sound unmistakably like Tame Impala to me. So yes, the album’s opener “My Old Ways” uses a headfake start that sounds like a voice note as a way to drop the listener into a vibe that is more dance club-y than anything on “Currents,” but I disagree that that’s necessarily a bad thing or that an artist should spend their lives chasing the high of their previous work.
Parker is a husband and a father, as made clear by Deadbeat’s cover, which shows him with his daughter, and his new album isn’t steeped in quite as much existential dread and questioning as some of his past work. That’s probably by design, though, and not a sign of creative decay. A slower, more stripped back and bubbly sound seems to make sense for where he’s at in his life. Despite the polarized response, Deadbeat features a number of standout moments and tracks – I’m drawn to the romance of “Piece of Heaven” and the infectious fun of “Dracula.” Tame Impala has evolved, and Tame Impala will continue to evolve. Those older albums still exist, and his new phase offers enough infectious hooks and catchy melodies to keep me coming back. Will this album become a Tame Impala cult classic? I’m not sure, and only time will tell. In the meantime, I’ll be bopping along to Loser.
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