The Slow Rush – Tame Impala
★ ★ ★ ★
The sands of time have certainly shifted in the five years since Tame Impala released Currents. This pop/ psych-rock album was a global sensation and led polymath Kevin Parker to work with huge artists including Travis Scott and Kanye West. On this latest project, Parker embraces self-reflexivity, nostalgia, and temporal existence with his entrancing lyrics and immersive sound. Layers of meaning unravel as you sink deeper into the sands of this track list.
The album opens strongly with “One More Year”. Parker’s lyrics reminiscing on his early career aspirations, are accompanied by a boisterous, disco beat, which retains Impala’s trademark trippy tone. There’s a cyclical feeling, as on the final track, “One More Hour”, Parker sings “whatever I’ve done, I did it for love”, “never for money”.
Parker’s meditations on mortality and life are highly inspiring, like on “Lost in Yesterday”, where he sings “What was I ever afraid of? Why did I worry?”. His lyrics encourage listeners to embrace what “calls you”, face what “haunts you” and erase what “holds you”. The Daft Punk-esque, disco-inspired sound of this album is highlighted on “Breathe Deeper”, which gives us a defiant, daily mantra: “If you think that I can’t hold my own. Believe me, I can.”
Nicholas Lane – Music Writer
