Currents
Tame Impala may have been forged in the familiar fires of guitar-driven psych-rock, but Kevin Parker began expanding that brief almost immediately, shifting from dank, distorted solos to widescreen, synth-swept fantasias. By the time *Currents* arrived in 2015, the Fremantle home-studio whiz had made his grandest leap yet, offering his particular take on outsized, club-ready pop. That meant mostly sidelining guitars and ramping up the lead role of those synths. Parker had always made Tame Impala records as a solo endeavor, using a proper band primarily to realize songs in a live setting. Yet this third album saw him applying more painstaking control than ever before, not just playing and writing every single part but recording and mixing the entire thing as well. Even fans who had noticed Parker’s increasing pop sensibilities across 2012’s *Lonerism* were somewhat taken aback by *Currents*’ bravura opening statement, “Let It Happen,” an ambitious dance-floor epic that foregrounded glitter-bomb synths and alternately dipping and peaking rhythms. The band’s trajectory changed over the course of a single track, which stretches out over nearly eight minutes and indulges in remix-style record-skipping and lengthy stretches without vocals. Between the disco grooves, Parker still finds time for Tame Impala’s sonic signatures—floaty vocals, soul-searching lyrics, fleeting interludes. As lush as the production is (which you can hear in the joyous vocal layering and panning on “The Moment”), the increased scope of these songs is matched by the same rich emotional content, making it feel like Parker is sharing his most private moments. From the vulnerability displayed on “Yes I’m Changing,” which muses on growing older against unironic soft-rock motifs, to his interrogations of masculinity and romance on “\'Cause I’m a Man,” Parker is still committed to airing intimate, almost diary-like sentiments. Meditative album closer “New Person, Same Old Mistakes” says it all. Still, Parker doesn’t have to distance himself from formative heroes like Todd Rundgren and The Flaming Lips in the name of artistic growth. Evoking the mirror-ball dazzle of roller rinks and discos, here he continues to cherry-pick from the past in order to imagine a sophisticated musical future that’s appealing across multiple fronts but still strikes directly at the heart. And the risky decision to shelve guitars clearly paid off: *Currents* took Tame Impala to the big leagues, where he could now collaborate with Lady Gaga, get covered by Rihanna (a version of “New Person, Same Old Mistakes” appeared as “Same Ol’ Mistakes” on 2016’s *ANTI*), and headline Coachella. It also provided a natural progression to 2020’s *The Slow Rush*, an even more immersive and personal synth-funk odyssey.
Nearly every song on Currents is a statement of leader Kevin Parker's range and increasing expertise as a producer, arranger, songwriter, and a vocalist. Parker is writing pop songs here, and doing them justice, and Currents is the result of a supernaturally talented obsessive trying to perfect music.
When Tame Impala, the recording name of Australian musician Kevin Parker, released Lonerism in 2012, it served notice that 2010’s Innerspeaker was no fluke, and that Parker was one of the more important artists working today. For the past three years, anticipation for the follow-up has been building. Now that Currents…
Embracing machines while stripping down layers of noise to expose the heart of the songs, Currents is an album full of human warmth.
It's all change for Kevin Parker as an expansive third album swaps fuzzy guitars for full-bodied bass and vivid synths
Currents is a record knowledgeable music fans are supposed to be excited for, paying attention to and ready to consider the…
After a long break from making Tame Impala music, during which time Kevin Parker produced other people's albums and played in side projects, 2015's Currents shows that much has changed with the project.
Keven Parker's third outing takes off with a fanfare of driving drums and kaleidoscopic synths that is reassuringly Tame Impala of old, but as it gains altitude Currents soars to a new level of sophistication
Tame Impala's third studio album, Currents, is the follow-up to 2012's Lonerism, and the resolution of an introspective period for Kevin Par...
Currents opens with "Let It Happen," which instantly launches itself into the Tame Impala pantheon. Well, maybe not instantly—it takes close to eight minutes.
Tame Impala’s third album finds Kevin Parker in the unusually tuneful throes of a break-up
Although Currents is, in many ways, a showcase of difference, Tame Impala also toys with repetition as a unifying theme.
Review of 'Currents' the forthcoming album by Tame Impala. The LP comes out on July 18th. The latest single is "Cause I'm A Man", is now streaming.
The Australian musical polymath Kevin Parker is back with a luscious new album that looks back – even as it moves psychedelic rock forward
Tame Impala - Currents review: Sounds like a million bucks. Feels like a three-dollar bill.
Kevin Parker's anticipated album aims for the stars but stumbles soon after launch. CD new music review by Barney Harsent