Tame Impala Psych guru Kevin Parker discusses album three, sonic evolution and making “the ultimate kind of music”
Kevin Parker in his home studio in Fremantle, Australia
14 evin Parker talks about ‘Currents’, Tame Impala’s third album, like the autobiography he’s not had time to write. “‘Lonerism’ was about always shutting out the outside world,” he says, “but chapter one of the next story, you realise at some point that there’s so much force around you that to fight it takes more energy than to shut it out. There’s a big undercurrent theme of transition, a transition of the self as a person. It’s about giving in to forces that you can’t control, even though your whole life seems to be wrong. ‘Let It Happen’ is like chapter one; it’s the first step. It’s about someone finding themselves in this world of chaos – they realise it, but they’ve always been stopping the outside world from coming in, blocking their ears.” When Parker found himself in his own world of chaos – the whirlwind success of Tame’s 2012 album ‘Lonerism’ and the three years he’s since spent riding that psychedelic glam unicorn of a record around the globe
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“THE MORE I EXPLORE, THE MORE I REALISE THAT BOUNDARIES ARE MEANT TO BE BROKEN” KEVIN PARKER
– he discovered a homely adventurer. The of Picasso improving Guernica by colouring ‘Lonerism’ cash bought him a house in which it in, Parker’s groovier tangent has delivered he could build a recording studio as well a better album than ‘Lonerism’. From as a lighting studio, “where I can the Air-ish disco of work on the visuals to a song at the ‘Let It Happen’ and ► same time as working on the song, ‘The Moment’ to the which was magical, it gave it this ►TITLE Currents synthetic plastifunk of other dimension. That was a luxury ►RELEASE DATE July 17 ‘The Less I Know The that I never had before, to set up a ►LABEL Fiction Better’, it’s consistently studio knowing that I didn’t have ►PRODUCER Kevin Parker faultless. Ironic, then, to pack it up because of the rental ►RECORDED Fremantle, that the personal agreement.” Western Australia transitions it describes Here, he set about smashing ►TRACKS 1. Let It Happen end up a bit of a psych to smithereens. “I wanted 2. Nangs 3. The Moment 4. Yes mess. Sublime, poppy to make the songs that I’d always I’m Changing 5. Eventually ‘Eventually’ tackles the wanted to, but that I’d shut out 6. Gossip 7. The Less I Know struggle of “knowing because I thought the influences The Better 8. Past Life 9. that you have to leave weren’t fitting in the realm of psych Disciples 10. ’Cause I’m A Man something and move on, rock. But the more I explore, the 11. Reality In Motion 12. Love/ knowing you’re about to more I realise that those boundaries Paranoia 13. New Person, Same damage someone and are meant to be broken. I’ve Old Mistakes the only consolation is always loved groove-based music ►KEVIN PARKER SAYS “I felt that a long time in the – ‘Lonerism’ was the gateway to like I wanted to make music future it’s going to work that. I never really found out how to that was interpreted as being itself out”. ‘Disciples’ is make crunchy dream pop and at the more communal; a communal about the friends that same time make really hard-hitting listening experience rather than don’t want to hang out groove music with a strong beat – a solitary listening experience.” with you any more. And but I’m getting closer. Every album ‘New Person, Same Old I make I feel I get closer to Mistakes’? “That’s the the ultimate kind of music that last chapter,” Parker explains. “It’s the final I would want to listen to.” battle between optimism and pessimism. Though, on paper, You feel like you’ve evolved, but you’ve gone it sounds like the full circle; nothing’s changed because you’re musical equivalent making the same mistakes.” ■ MARK BEAUMONT R E S S | 20 JU NE 2015
