Tame Impala’s fourth studio album, “The Slow Rush,” develops the synthetic soundscapes from its last album, “Currents,” in stunning songs that effortlessly blend thoughtful songwriting with disco escapism.
That description might make the album sound like a mess, but the intricate production from Kevin Parker, who writes and performs all of Tame Impala’s material, blends psychedelic rock and pop influences surprisingly well.
Parker’s one-man band gained a reputation for its transcendent and gritty rock music with 2012’s “Lonerism,” only to transform its sound into a blend of progressive rock and synth pop on “Currents.”
Now, Tame Impala has mostly replaced the complex songs of “Currents” with hypnotic grooves, steadily building toward euphoric conclusions.
“Borderline” pairs Parker’s airy falsetto vocals with a loop of gritty drums and bright synth chords, then steadily piles on flutes, bongos and distorted bass while he croons earworm after earworm.
Touches of delay on his vocals and spacey synth melodies complement his lyrics about a high that forces him to watch time pass, “caught between the tides of pain and rapture.”
While many songs on “The Slow Rush” use layered instrumentation to serve looping grooves and catchy hooks, the album’s best tracks are multi-phase epics, changing drastically without sacrificing Parker’s distinct new songwriting style.
The gorgeous mix of icy keys, rumbling bass, smooth guitar and repetitive vocals at the beginning of “Breathe Deeper” seem to forecast a predictable disco throwback.
But when the dense instrumentation on the chorus drops away and a new synth bass introduces a dramatic and fresh harmony to the track, it begins to rapidly shift, taking a detour through a burst of muffled dream pop before a climax of harsh synths, mangled bass and clean acoustic guitars.
At some points, wild instrumental and tonal changes make for a perfect marriage between music and lyrics, resulting in some of Parker’s most personal and powerful songs.
Over the somber blend of electric guitar licks, acoustic strumming, patient bass lines and heavy drums on “Posthumous Forgiveness,” Parker gives one of his most emotional performances, singing about his troubled relationship with his late father.
He laments that his father never made amends for abandoning him, singing, “You decided to take all your sorrys to the grave.”
Just as the harsh chopped and looped synths on the chorus drive home the rage and confusion in the lyrics, the song suddenly flows into a dreamy blend of soft keys and bongos while Parker’s lyrics shift from anger to sadness. He describes missing out on the chance to talk things out with his father, and sings about playing him his songs and telling him, “You’re just a man after all.”
This gut-wrenchingly beautiful moment of longing over stunning and calm instrumentation makes “Posthumous Forgiveness” this album’s crown jewel, if not the best Tame Impala song yet.
Unfortunately, not all of “The Slow Rush” is just as perfect. The album’s closer, “One More Hour,” pummels the listener with swells of heavy guitar, bass, drums and synths for most of the song, teasing at a potentially mind-blowing resolution.
Then the track completely abandons its dramatic palette, switching to a subdued and psychedelic outro before fading away. This botched climax leaves the album frustratingly incomplete.
However, “The Slow Rush” is a fantastic step forward for Tame Impala, showing the world that Kevin Parker still has plenty of stunning tricks up his sleeve.
