ALBUM ALBUM ALBUM RE ALBUM ALBUM TAME IMPALA
REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW
THE SLOW RUSH
By: Tyler Drag Online Editor
Picture courtesy of pitchfork.com
Tame Impala’s new album, The Slow Rush has finally been released and I’ve been asking myself if it’s fair to expect a band to stay consistent with my taste in music over time. The Slow Rush came out on February 14, 2020 and on the spectrum of the band’s discography the new album sounds most similar to Currents, the band’s last album. The new album’s similar sound to Currents isn’t a surprise, but I was hoping for a bigger difference or more of a progression from Currents to The Slow Rush. Kevin Parker, the architect behind Tame Impala, has managed to release original sounding albums- but The Slow Rush is the first one to sound this similar to another album in the band’s discography. Innerspeaker, Lonerism, Live Versions, and Currents all have their own individual sound while still retaining the Tame Impala aesthetic. The Slow Rush still has its own aesthetic when compared to the discography, but it’s almost just an extension of Currents with different tones and effects. So, if you liked Currents, you’re in luck. However, even for someone who likes the band’s older material, The Slow Rush does come with a few gems in it like: “Breathe Deeper,” “Instant Destiny,” “ Tomorrow’s Dust,” “Lost in Yesterday” and “Is It True,” but as a whole the album is a bit repetitive and bland. Parker utilizes his ability to make catchy beats accompanied by attractive synths chords, which doesn’t sound bad, but most of this album isn’t worth listening to multiple times compared to other content that’s out there (The Strokes dropped a few singles and have a new album on the way, Khruangbin released a new album, and Thundercat keeps releasing singles just to give a few examples). Obviously, this is all subjective, but Tame Impala was best at Lonerism. Each instrument used to have an entire song to play, but now there’s a lot of moments where it’s just Parker singing, drums, and synth/effects. It’s a bit repetitive, but maybe it’s too soon and The Slow Rush will age better with time. When Currents first came out, I hated it because it wasn’t as good as Lonerism, but now I listen to most of the songs from that album just as much as Lonerism. Maybe The Slow Rush will age better, but at the moment I think it’s just some weak hypnotic synth pop music from one of my favorite bands. Maybe it’s not fair to expect Tame Impala to stay consistent with my taste in music over time, but I wouldn’t say that the band has sold out or lost their talent either. This album was a little disappointing, but after releasing so much good music I am more than willing to cut them some slack.
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