Siddharth Pillai reviews Tame Impala’s latest single
After the release of ‘Patience’ and ‘Borderline’ earlier this year, Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker has put out a brand new single ‘It Might Be Time’, along with officially announcing his long-awaited fourth album, aptly titled The Slow Rush, to be released on 14 February 2020.
While maintaining some of the art-pop, synth-heavy sounds of the previous two singles, ‘It Might Be Time’ soon bulks up with the introduction of raw, energetic drums. These are akin to the psychedelic rock sounds of Parker’s first two albums, Innerspeaker and Lonerism, while also clearly influenced by and evolved from the synth-pop tone of his critically acclaimed third LP, Currents.
A psychedelic cocktail of passionate drumming, dreamy synths and uneasy yet euphoric vocals
This idea of past and future is mirrored in the lyrics, sung with a generous dose of classic Tame Impala reverb, conjuring up themes of uncertainty and anxiety about what’s to come as Parker looks back on his career – “It might be time to face it/ It ain’t as fun as it used to be, no/ You’re goin’ under/ You ain’t as young as you used to be,” he laments.
What can be taken as a not-so-subtle nod to the long dry spell fans had to endure after the release of Currents back in 2015, Parker confesses his tendency to be a perfectionist, his own worst enemy, and continues to show this vulnerability in his music, an inclination his fans appreciate and praise him for.
‘It Might Be Time’ builds on the foundations established by the previous two singles, and forms a psychedelic cocktail of passionate drumming, dreamy synths and uneasy yet euphoric vocals, mixed perfectly with top-grade production.
Exciting times ahead for Tame Impala fans, this should be a good Valentine’s Day.