Review Summary: Parker’s latest release proves that he has the ability to effortlessly combine rock n’ roll, funk, shoegaze and even elements of hip-hop – and turn it all into a pop album.
They say people never change but that's bull***, they do,” Kevin Parker laments on “Yes I’m Changing,” the fourth track from his third album, “Currents.”
That statement lays the groundwork for Parker’s lyrical themes of dissolved relationships and acceptance as well as his band’s stylistic shift from Beatles and Pink Floyd-esque psychedelic rock to synth-pop and R&B, bringing to mind the essence of Michael Jackson and Daft Punk.
While Tame Impala is a five-person outfit when on tour, the group is undoubtedly an outlet for Parker, who writes, records and performs the vast majority of its content. “Currents” is a step towards more independence for the 29-year-old from Perth, Western Australia, as he recorded the entirety of the project by himself over the past three years.
Earlier this month, he revealed to The Guardian that the electronic disco vibe of “Currents” stems from a revelation of an artistic direction he had while listening to the Bee Gees’ “Staying Alive” under the influence of psilocybin mushrooms. So, instead of retreading the guitar-centered ground of previous studio efforts “Innerspeaker” and Lonerism,” this project dispenses dancey bass lines, finger snaps and murky synthesizers that act as a time portal to the mid ‘70s and ‘80s.
The catchy lead single and opening track, “Let It Happen,” sets the album’s tone in the form of a bouncy and progressive tour de force, clocking in at just under eight minutes and warping along the way.
"The Less I Know the Better" provides one of 2015’s catchiest bass lines on a M.J.-influenced tune about jealousy following a breakup. “I was doing fine without ya/ 'Til I saw your eyes turn away from mine,” Parker’s ethereal vocals soar over a lush sonic landscape. In an interview with Under The Radar in April, the front man questioned the song’s place on the album, referring to it as “dorky, white disco funk.” The good news is that the track fits right into “Currents” collection of pop ventures.
Parker’s airy falsetto and bright keyboard pads sparkle on “’Cause I'm a Man," complete with a sing-along chorus of tongue-in-cheek misogyny: “Cause I'm a man, woman/ Not often proud of what I choose/I'm a human, woman/ A greater force I answer to.”
Album highlight “Reality in Motion” cranks up the trademark reverb on Parker’s vocals, resulting in the closest thing “Currents” has to a straight-up pop-rock tune. Parker sounds more like John Lennon than ever, a comparison he has grown tired of but will likely not shake – if a 1965 Lennon capitalized on new wave music, it might sound something like this.
“Currents” is not exactly a safe record for a band with a fan base built by a lo-fi classic rock sound as showcased in previous albums, and Parker openly anticipates mixed reactions from the public: “I can just hear them now/ ‘How could you let us down?’/ But they don't know what I found or see it from this way around,” he sings on the album closer, "New Person, Same Old Mistakes,” a track with a groovy drum beat, synchronized bass and resounding, modulated bridge.
Parker’s latest release proves that he has the ability to effortlessly combine rock n’ roll, funk, shoegaze and even elements of hip-hop – and turn it all into a pop album. While “Currents” lacks the gritty garage-rock ambience of its predecessors, its shimmering, psychedelic pulse is a beast of its own accord.
