No Rushing Perfection
Tame Impala releases fourth studio album after five years of anticipation
Time keeps moving forward and so does Tame Impala. In Kevin Parker’s fourth studio album, “The Slow Rush,” he morphs his tried-and-true yacht-rock anthems into a synth-heavy late ‘70s sonic landscapes. “The Slow Rush,” released on Valentine’s Day five years after his hit album “Currents” dropped, this 12-track totem gives a glimpse into Parker’s psychedelic mind. Tame Impala marches forward at a steady pace—in slow motion.
The opening song of “One More Year” begs for more time in the now, for “now I worry our horizons bear nothing new.” This sentiment is shared among university seniors to the point of prominence in Instagram captions come commencement. Parker craves this same carefree nature through lyrics like, “If we had a care, it didn’t show.”
“Borderline,” one of Parker’s four singles released long before the completed album’s release, highlights a plucky staccato keyboard that runs throughout the entirety of the track. Since its initial release in April of last year, “Borderline” has been altered to feature more echoey backup vocals and a depth the single version lacked.
Where the single hinges on a light clapping to hold the chorus together, the album rendition relies on synths and a more prominent bass. In the first minute, this synth sound slides into an explosion noise reminiscent of The Waterboys’ 1985 hit “The Whole of the Moon,” which sampled a firework sound from a BBC sound effects record.
Almost halfway through the album, “Breathe Deeper” reignites the energy of the album following the lumbering notes of “Posthumous Forgiveness.” A standout on the record, “Breathe Deeper” is a ceaseless maelstrom that carries on for over six minutes. The first verse introduces a background glittering that threads through the remainder of the song.
Parker continues to nod to Father Time in this more happy-go-lucky track with lyrics that signal an ending to fun: “‘Til the morning / And the groove is slow.” Parker’s lyrics in this song are partially inspired by the first experience he had with ecstacy, something the song owes its dreamy feel to. Reliant on a similar keyboard trance “Borderline” possesses, “Breathe Deeper” has an outro that Parker has said he likes to imagine is a song that exists in full in a parallel universe.
Perhaps the song most wrapped up in the pressure of keeping up with the times is “On Track.” A reflective tone takes on the song in which Parker attempts to stay optimistic despite his pessimistic nature that comes with his perfectionism. He says “technically it’s possible” of his optimism. Written mostly on his piano in his home, “On Track” is Parker’s version of a 1970s power ballard, with sinking pauses in vocals and hard-hitting synth notes.
His restlessness with the current he is presented with continues to shine through vocally, “I let out a breath and hold in a sigh / Ain’t nothin’ new, ain’t that much in sight.” He reminds himself that he is indeed on track, though he has faced “minor setbacks” and “lost a wheel a while back.”
The one thing that undoubtedly comes with time and experience is memory. Parker calls out to his most distant memories in “Lost in Yesterday.” The accompanying music video that focuses on painful ‘70s wedding home videos premiered late last month for this Jan. 8 single.
For this very song, Parker had to dig into his own memory. He claims he had thought of this chorus long before he wrote the song, but it escaped him until it came back to him unexpectedly. The chorus howls the lyrics, “If they call you / Embrace them / If they hold you / Erase them,” to which Parker is referring to memories. Although no one has power over time passing, there is personal authority on what memories of that time are retained.
Although fans hoped “The Slow Rush” would be another danceable summer album, Tame Impala held out to release a carefully considered and crafted work that is both reflective and hopeful for the future. Five years of silence from the Aussie has sung volumes.