Currents // Tame Impala
The third studio album from Tame Impala took a different turn in 2015. Currents opted for synthesizers instead of the guitar driven sounds of Lonerism and Innerspeaker. Seemingly influenced by Air and the Bee Gee’s, the record favour a disco edge whilst maintaining the Kevin Parker signature falsetto vocals and overall hazy state that washes over the listener of Tame Impala.
As the album opens with ‘Let it Happen’. This synth fused melody seems to appear as a message to the listener to accept the changes of their new sound “I heard about a whirlwind that’s coming ’round / It’s gonna carry off all that isn’t bound”. As the album continues, the melodies whirl in and out, covering the listener in all the heartbreak, change and contemplation the protagonist of the album has gone through. Songs such as ‘Cause I’m a Man’ and ‘The Less I Know The Better’ portray this story of loss in such a way that could only be spoken of by someone who has lost the person they wanted.
Currents brought to the light a different melodic side to Tame Impala and Kevin Parker’s musical styling, pairing disco synth with the hazy psych rock sounds. This album encapsulates the emotions of dealing with change whilst also showing just how great Tame Impala are, that even with a change from a formula that worked so well, this became one of their (Kevin Parker’s) more experimental and adventurous albums, in turn becoming their most confident album to date.
Words by Jessica Borden