After five years of singles and the occasional remix, Tame Impala released his fourth studio album “Deadbeat” Oct. 17 to much anticipation from fans. Although the album has some hits, the second half features an unchanging, repetitive style that becomes overwhelming in its monotony.
Tame Impala is a solo music project by Kevin Parker, based on the psychedelic pop sound of the 1960s. He is known for “The Less I Know The Better” from album “Currents”.
During the early 2000s, Parker was a small artist uploading his music onto Myspace, where his tracks first became popular. His work gained the attention of Australian talent scouts, leading him to sign a record deal with Modular Recordings.
Since then, the multi-instrumentalist has achieved countless accomplishments, including winning a Grammy for Best Alternative Pop and debuting “Currents” at number one on Australian album charts.
After the release of the disco-pop album “The Slow Rush” in 2020, Parker finally dropped “Deadbeat”, representing a bold new chapter. The 12-track album combines psych-rock, pop, dance and disco together to create an immersive yet repetitive listening experience.
“My Old Ways”, already a hit on Spotify, starts off with a long intro leaving listeners to wonder what’s next. The minute-long intro sounds as if it was pre-recorded on his phone, foreshadowing vintage elements later used in the songs “End Of Summer” and “Not My World”.
The beat drop of “My Old Ways” is a portal to the new album. The irregular piano melody flows perfectly with his tender, emotional voice. No Tame Impala song has ever sounded like this, making it one of my favorites.
“No Reply” reflects Kevin’s deep voice alongside another repetitive beat. This song is monotonous, tedious and dull. Many songs in this album have spectacular bridges that introduce new sounds with anticipation, but it seems as if “No Reply” is an endless bridge. The end of the song displays a sorrowful piano melody, contrasting significantly from the main verse.
One of his pre-released singles, “Dracula”, is my favorite because of the cinematic vibes, almost like the song is reminiscing about the era of Victorian vampires. Parker’s voice is expressive and emotional, exploring themes of nightlife and darkness. It’s groovy and an absolutely danceable song, capturing perfectly the vibe of a house party on a Halloween night.
The second half of the album feels like listening to a song with only one beat, especially in the cases of “Afterthought”, “Oblivion” and “Not My World”. The tracks get stuck in a hypnotic rhythm, an immutable wave, compared to his regular house music.
“Ethereal Connection” takes too long to be started, but that’s expected for dance music. It’s different, a song for the maniacs. It has the same booming beat, but the track truly just sounds like background music.
The album finishes with the song “End Of Summer”. The beats sound extremely similar to “Ethereal Connection”, with the long intros and repetitive pounding beats. The songs were initially met with mixed reviews because they run like a loop, on rhythm and repetition.
Overall, I found the first four songs to be the most enjoyable to listen to, compared to the uninteresting monotone beats of the second half. I give it a 3 out of 5 stars.
