slice of lime

‘My Old Ways’ opens the fifth studio album from Tame Impala. It sets the mood immediately for the way the entire album will go. The intro of lo-fi piano, like hearing it from the next room over, ties back to some sounds we’ve heard from Kevin Parker before. It is as raw as it gets, the vulnerability palpable. Then, the song shifts and the beat comes in on top of the piano. Parker proves that even while saying he wanted to strip back on some instrumentation, he can still create a shift in his songs. Thematically, the lyrics continue down a path we’ve seen from the Australian artist before. The mixture of regressive feelings, from bad habits to self criticism, are backed by bouncy beats that start exploring electronic music right off the bat.

The album plays with themes of insecurity and psyche, exposing a vulnerable truth to destructive habits and electro-funk beats. Parker continues to create honest and curious music with great inspiration. I enjoy the thematic consistency of second guessing that continues into Deadbeat. The sips of self-deprecation feel as iconic to Tame Impala as the continued exploration of fresh ideas.

The album has received some criticism from straying from the psychedelic rock roots that Tame Impala started out within. Tame Impala has spent a decade being a taste maker for modern music, establishing itself as an influential and new age inspiration to many. An album centered around exploration and appreciation being labeled as too much or far off the target seems like an oxymoronic up-hill battle. It is a Sisyphean task for any artist to grow beyond the spark they first created. Luckily for everyone, the front half of the album is stacked with wonderful songs only a few paces away from the previous things we’ve heard from Parker.

The stand-out song I think will stick around with an audience is ‘Dracula’. It meshes the indulgence of a night out and the hang-xiety of the next morning into a Halloween hit. It follows the adrenaline of a hedonistic night to its natural conclusion.

‘Loser’, released early as a single, is becoming my favorite with each listen. It’s bass line hits the catchy Tame Impala sweet spot that cultivates the artist’s signature sound and the exasperated sense of self is a great storyline.

The back half of the album meanders at times, swirling into a self-indulgent loops that loses a bit of momentum as it plays with its new ideas. There are a few songs that almost stand up to the experience of the top picks of the album but would benefit from a thicker layer of production, feeling a little thin as they currently exist. ‘Oblivion’ is one that I loved, but at moments I could notice how underdeveloped it seemed. Compared to ‘Obsolete’, which feels noticeably more tender and rich in its production and lyrical work. It’s bass line was first teased over an Instagram story, and contextualized in the song it fleshes out into a head-turning dance song.

Parker described the inspirations behind the album as “bush doof culture and the Western Australian rave scene.” [I had to look up what that meant, so clearly I am no expert.] The album does have a tangible sense of freedom though, some retained flare of youthful freedoms and rebellion coming through in ‘Loser’ and ‘‘. There is a range of styles of dance music being touched on, a dizzying swirl of various people and thoughts combined.

Tracklist

My Old Ways ★
No Reply
Dracula ★
Loser ★
Oblivion ★
Not My World
Piece of Heaven
Obsolete ★
Ethereal Connection
See You On Monday (You’re Lost)
Afterthought
End of Summer

★ – favorites