Tame Impala returns with his fifth studio album, Deadbeat

Words by Ana Bhardwaj

Alternative and hipster music fans rejoice, as there’s a new Tame Impala album (big day for annoying music fans, as I like to call it). Deadbeat sees the return of Kevin Parker (yes, it’s just one guy), taking on a new genre as he explores a heavier techno sound for the fifth record. It’s a new era after a five-year-long hiatus, and Parker is back with a new version of transcendental music that keeps you dancing all night.

After dropping the lead single ‘End of Summer’ during the summer months (in the UK), fans got a sense of what was to come with the change of sound and new direction that Parker was headed in. He describes the album as something you’d hear at a ‘bush doof’, despite having never been to one, and I can imagine it perfectly. Pitchfork describes it as ‘Berghain down under’ – evident in the nearly 8-minute-long EDM-heavy track ‘Ethereal Connection’. It’s also his first album navigating being a father with young kids, throwing in some nods to dad life in the song ‘No Reply’ as well as the album title.

‘Dracula’, being the third single released before the album dropped, was perfectly fitting for moving into spooky season, and has seen huge success on TikTok with fans stitching the sound over Halloween-inspired videos and trends. It’s one of my favourites on the album – a great song to power walk to, which is what I’ve now noticed with the majority of the album.

As usual, fans had polarised views – which in my opinion is always around a really solid album – with some praising the new direction and his skill to produce good beats, and others wishing for the old Tame Impala sound. This, in turn, makes the album title, “Deadbeat”, even more ironic, as it could be used to describe essentially a deadbeat. I had the chance to listen to the album in full a few days before global release and couldn’t be more impressed with how it sounds (although Kevin can do no wrong in my eyes!) 

Tame Impala goes on his UK/Europe tour next spring, playing one night at London’s iconic O2 Arena – grab tickets if you can, as this is going to be a show you don’t want to miss. 

Photos by Ana Bhardwaj