The Slow Rush

AlbumFeb 14 / 202012 songs, 57m 27s
Psychedelic Pop Neo-Psychedelia Synthpop
Popular Highly Rated

The theme of the fourth Tame Impala album is evident before hearing a note. It’s in the song names, the album title, even the art: Kevin Parker has time on his mind. Ruminating on memories, nostalgia, uncertainty about the future, and the nature of time itself lies at the heart of *The Slow Rush*. Likewise, the music itself is both a reflection on the sonic evolution of Parker’s project as it’s reached festival headliner status—from warbly psychedelia to hypnotic electronic thumps—and a forward thrust towards something new and deeply fascinating. On “Posthumous Forgiveness,” Parker addresses his relationship with his father over a woozy, bluesy bass and dramatic synths, which later give way to a far brighter, gentle sound. From the heavy horns on “Instant Destiny” and acoustic guitars on “Tomorrow’s Dust” to the choppy synths and deep funk of “One More Year” and “Breathe Deeper,” the album sounds as ambitious as its concept. There’s a lot to think about—and Kevin Parker has plenty to say about it. Here, written exclusively for Apple Music, the Australian artist has provided statements to accompany each track on *The Slow Rush*. **One More Year** “I just realized we were standing right here exactly one year ago, doing the exact same thing. We’re blissfully trapped. Our life is crazy but where is it going? We won’t be young forever but we sure do live like it. Our book needs more chapters. Our time here is short, let’s make it count. I have a plan.” **Instant Destiny** “In love and feeling fearless. Let’s be reckless with our futures. The only thing special about the past is that it got us to where we are now. Free from feeling sentimental…we don’t owe our possessions anything. Let’s do something that can’t be undone just ’cause we can. The future is our oyster.” **Borderline** “Standing at the edge of a strange new world. Any further and I won’t know the way back. The only way to see it is to be in it. I long to be immersed. Unaware and uncontrolled.” **Posthumous Forgiveness** “Wrestling with demons of the past. Something from a long time ago doesn’t add up. I was lied to! Maybe there’s a good explanation but I’ll never get to hear it, so it’s up to me to imagine what it might sound like…” **Breathe Deeper** “First time. I need to be guided. Everything feels new. Like a single-cell organism granted one day as a human. We’re all together. Why isn’t it always like this?” **Tomorrow’s Dust** “Our regrets tomorrow are our actions now. Future memories are present-day current events. Tomorrow’s dust is in today’s air, floating around us as we speak.” **On Track** “A song for the eternal optimist. The pain of holding on to your dreams. Anyone would say it’s impossible from this point. True it will take a miracle, but miracles happen all the time. I’m veering all over the road and occasionally spinning out of control, but strictly speaking I’m still on track.” **Lost in Yesterday** “Nostalgia is a drug, to which some are addicted.” **Is It True** “Young love is uncertain. Let’s not talk about the future. We don’t know what it holds. I hope it’s forever but how do I know? When all is said and done, all you can say is ‘we’ll see.’” **It Might Be Time** “A message from your negative thoughts: ‘Give up now… It’s over.’ The seeds of doubt are hard to un-sow. Randomly appearing throughout the day, trying to derail everything that usually feels natural…*used* to feel natural. You finally found your place, they can’t take this away from you now.” **Glimmer** “A glimmer of hope. A twinkle. Fleeting, but unmistakable. Promising.” **One More Hour** “The time has come. Nothing left to prepare. Nothing left to worry about. Nothing left to do but sit and observe the stillness of everything as time races faster than ever. Even shadows cast by the sun appear to move. My future comes to me in flashes, but it no longer scares me. As long as I remember what I value the most.”

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8.0 / 10

On his fourth album, Kevin Parker takes a breath and eases into a smoother psychedelic sound. Even without the adrenaline-filled highs, the compositions are as rich and thoughtful as ever.

F

Although its catchiest moments somewhat make up for bad lyrics, The Slow Rush’s production and melodies underwhelm compared to Kevin Parker’s signature blissful odysseys.

6 / 10

Tame Impala’s first album in five years sees them move away from guitars and into mega-pop songwriting. Get the NME verdict

7 / 10

Australian psych overlords push further into addictive funk territory on The Slow Rush

Review at a glanceIs Kevin Parker, AKA Tame Impala, stuck in the past or moving on?

7.0 / 10

The dance-influenced production is impressive, but it still isn't enough to mask the record's many flaws.

Kevin Parker is a prog-rock wiz with a heart of pop gold, spooling out resplendent psychedelic symphonies in Tame Impala, a studio project that’s blossomed into a band big enough to headline Coachella.

As the next move on the Tame Impala chessboard, Kevin Parker has pulled out a bold one.

It might make a star of its funk-heavy basslines, but there’s an ever- present underlying sadness here too.

Kevin Parker’s first release since cracking the global mainstream slickly polishes a dancier sound, while Nathaniel Rateliff’s latest takes a while to reveal the singer-songwriter’s killer instinct 

AllMusic provides comprehensive music info including reviews and biographies. Get recommendations for new music to listen to, stream or own.

The Slow Rush is a partial reinvention of the Tame Impala sound, with Kevin Parker arranging vast soundscapes shaded with a human touch

6 / 10

Everything seems to be coming up Kevin Parker. Since his last album, 2015's heartbroken Currents, the Tame Impala leader has gotten married,...

7.5 / 10

The truth about music criticism is you don’t spend that much time with the record in question. Some huge bands have events where journalists cram into a room in New York or LA and listen to the album, take their notes, and write their reviews based upon

8 / 10

If Kevin Parker appears relaxed, then perhaps that’s because he is. The epitome of zen when onstage with Tame Impala, he’s somehow managed to

Kevin Parker shifts further away from his psych rock roots, while pondering happiness and his continued relevance

8 / 10

Painstakingly fine-tuned, The Slow Rush provides Tame Impala with enough punch for stadium tours while still meaningfully evolving a complex, liquid sound. 

8 / 10

The Slow Rush, the latest LP from Kevin Parker, aka the mastermind behind the psychedelic band, Tame Impala, is as much a self-reflective open letter to...

9.0 / 10

The Slow Rush by Tame Impala, album review by Steve Ovadia. Kevin Parker and companie's forthcoming release comes out on February 14th via Interscope

Perth’s disco dork returns after a four-year hiatus with an album that hunts for existential meaning in genre-surfing dance music

65 %

In less than half a decade, Parker’s Tame Impala project has gone from throwback psychedelic rock to the megalithic pop of Currents, which warped all of the artist’s bombastic production into a remarkable collection of relatable songs of lovelorn dejection and desperate hope.

Album Reviews: Tame Impala - The Slow Rush

54 %

From Grimes’ Miss Anthropocene to Lil Uzi Vert’s Eternal Atake to Soccer Mommy’s color theory, 2020 has already seen a slew of highly anticipated album releases, but perhaps no more than that of Kevin Parker and his singular psych-rock project, Tame Impala. Just last year the band headlined Coachella, helping push psych-pop/rock further into the

3.8 / 5

Tame Impala - The Slow Rush review: A slow and vastly detailed adventure.

From the shuddering opening warp of One More Year to blissfully euphoric closer One More Hour, time is the relentless focus of The Slow Rush, the fourth album from Tame Impala.

Kevin Parker is leaving behind his earlier vision of subtle beauty for a pop paradise

Kevin Parker returns with his most optimistic album yet. New Music review by Owen Richards

8 / 10

The importance of making transient moments count was already a recurring theme in Tame Impala’s music before Kevin Parker experienced a rather dramatic reminder two years ago.