Making a hugely successful return to the world’s ears and hearts, Tame Impala have been absolutely killing it this year, and they’ve only played a handful of shows so far. They are also yet to release their third album, so who knows what will happen when that finally drops.
Fresh from delivering one of the most talked about sets at Coachella, the Perth boys were back at it – this time on live American talk show Conan, giving up a dreamy as anything performance of their first single, Let It Happen. You can swoon at the performance below.
Tame Impala were one of the many acts announced on the Splendour In The Grass lineup this week, with their third LP Currents coming out later this year. There is not much else I am as excited about as I am about these two things.
My favourite band in the entire world, Tame Impala, have returned once again with a ripper of a tune in the form of their second single, ‘Cause I’m A Man (listen to their first single here). The track also came with the announcement that there is indeed a third album on it’s way, titled Currents.
*loses mind from excitement*
The track is a narrative built around Kevin Parker messing up, and he’s got no excuse but the fact that sometimes that’s just what happens – because he’s a man. Whether that could be seen as a cop-out, or a glimpse into some serious self-loathing going on, Kevin’s made a mistake and he’s pretty torn up about it.
One of the smoothest tracks he’s written, this strays from the stomping psych he does so well and heads into a more R&B area – synonymous with the much more emotional, intimate picture he’s painting with his words. Packed with a fragile vulnerability, lyrics such as “I’ll never be as strong as you” show Parker not just regretting what he’s done, but hints at affection still towards the other person. His gorgeous falsetto soars as much as it can when its weighed down with whatever he’s done, complimented by his trademark intricacy in the production; hidden finger clicks or moans that take the track just that little bit further.
‘Cause I’m A Man is a tremendous second single, and has not quite sated my thirst for new Tame but rather turned me into a twitching mess waiting for the release of Currents. One thing we can be sure of is, we are all certainly in for one hell of an aural treat. Missed ya, Kev.
Finally, the wait will be over. It’s been nearly three years since the release of Tame Impala’s seminal psych-rock album Lonerism, and we’ve just got word that their third offering is due out some time in 2015.
The news comes briefly but excitedly, from Perth label Spinning Top, who have announced new albums in 2015 from not only Tame Impala, but POND, Gunns, The Growl, Fascinator and more!
It’s been a quiet couple years for Tame Impala, with the exception of a few collabs and covers. Kevin Parker has been pretty busy regardless doing his own thang, most recently featuring on a Mark Ronson single.
No news yet about a release date for a single, but I reckon we’ll heard some new material by March. Could this be an early vote for Falls 2015-16 headliner, perhaps?
In a recent interview, Tame Impala’s Jay Watson said that their next album will be less rock and more electronic. This is pretty interesting news seeing as Tame have been heralded as one of the leaders up front of the rock/psych revolution.
Considering the intensity of the rise of electronic music that we’re seeing today, I guess it’s not surprising. Particularly after hearing the new Mark Ronson track which features Tame Impala frontman Kevin Parker.
While this is interesting and readable news, I thought I’d also take this opportunity to point out a couple things:
– Tame Impala have always listed electronic music as a big influence. Anyone who has listened to them is well aware that many of their instrumental layers often have synth effects and have been electronically treated. So it’s not exactly a crazy stretch to imagine a more electronic or synth-based sound. Not exactly expecting a Tame Impala club album here. (I could be wrong though)
– The interview where this sound byte was pulled from wasn’t actually about Tame Impala, it was about Pond. Furthermore, Watson went on to say that he, nor anyone else in the band except Parker had even heard the album, and he wasn’t at all certain about how it would sound.