Off The Record: Tame Impala's Lonerism Vs. Currents!

Prologue: It Was (Not) Meant To Be

Over the last few years, Tame Impala has launched to global rock stardom through a tight, strong catalog of catchy music. The band’s sole songwriter and studio musician Kevin Parker single-handedly produces it all, from psych-rock bangers to crisp bouncy pop hits that have reached tens of millions and built a strong fan base across the world. Parker’s distinct reputation as a pop auteur has transcended genres, reaching the ears of collaborators like Kanye West, Lady Gaga, Kali Uchis, and Travis Scott.

Tame Impala began in 2007 as a solo project of Kevin Parker to experiment with sounds separately from the bands he was in at the time. In the studio, Parker took the boundaries of what was ‘Tame Impala’ very seriously and wanted the work to be quintessentially his. As his career under the moniker continued, his creative process became increasingly serious and as of 2020, only 1 of his 4 studio albums has any pre-mastering contribution from another person.

Kevin originally gained traction with his music online and then enlisted the help of some friends to perform at local gigs. Eventually, Tame Impala was signed to a label, releasing a debut EP and some singles before finally dropping a full-length release in 2010. Innerspeaker dropped onto the scene to wide critical acclaim. Audiences were blown away by the trippy psychedelic tones while critics were intrigued by the incredibly unique tone of Parker’s squeaky-clean production. Along with peaking on the charts in Parker’s home country and abroad, the album received a myriad of nominations and awards from music journals. Rolling Stone Australia awarded Innerspeaker as Album of the Year and Pitchfork Magazine praised it saying: “Innerspeaker is a psychedelia-heavy outing that toys with paisley pop, stoner vibes, and an expansive array of swirling guitars.”

Although I love Innerspeaker and I think it has an important place in Tame Impala’s discography, I truly believe Parker’s best work was yet to come. The following two Tame Impala records Lonerism and Currents chronicled vast development in Parker’s sound and musical direction while offering two drastically different sonic experiences. Both records ventured in vastly different directions, holding a handful of some of the band’s best songs ever. These are the two records I want to talk today about because their cultural impact on listeners and aspiring musicians alike is like no other indie band this decade. In this blogpost, I will break down both albums within every aspect imaginable to decide which album shines as the greater release yet and which ends as runner-up.

P.S. Yes, I understand The Slow Rush has been out for almost half a year now but I started this project before that and will address it with perspective in the Epilogue.

Now, before we get into the nitty-gritty of analyzing we should address the elephant in the room: On almost every level except Kevin’s own voice, these two records are incredibly different. Lonerism is a true-blue neo-psych rock record with desperately lonely lyrics and lengthy jams while Currents is a refined synth pop opus accompanied by breakup poetry and glitzy disco synth grooves. Even in Tame Impala's brief discography to this point, this huge shift in tone and sound from Lonerism to Currents was largely unexpected. Both offer the same kinds of lyrics and vibes but deliver in such different ways. Comparing these albums isn’t black and white, and making a verdict of which is better is up to interpretation and debate.

Before we start comparing, we should lay the groundwork for each album on their own.

Part 1: Lonerism

Parker rode for a few years off of the attention Innerspeaker brought him. Although Tame Impala was touring and playing shows in 2011, he had plenty of time on tour buses and hotel to build the skeletons of the tracks. Parker commented on Lonerism’s production process having gravitated to messing around with synthesizers and developing songs from them.

Parker notes in an interview with Interview Magazine sporadic the writing process of Lonerism was: “I’m really excited about it, and it’s being worked on all the time, but with an album like that it’s impossible to tell how far along you are.” Parker also mentions how the tone of the album would be different than Innerspeaker: “Uh, it’s quite different, it’s a bit more decadent. It’s a bit more sonically decadent. I have not held back… I love fucked-up sounds, and I love pop melodies, and it’s kind of a combination of the two.”

On October 5th, 2015, Lonerism released to the world showing Parker’s versatility for writing pop rock bangers while implementing trippy analog synths. The sophomore release blew listeners away, displaying the true genius in Parker’s songwriting, and exercising Tame Impala’s catchy potential that had always been there. Lonerism flows together like one long psychedelic trip, and the pacing in every leg of the record stays exciting. Tame Impala’s signature tone shined here more than ever, weaving through the guitars, drums, synths and vocals; not to mention, Parker’s emotionally vulnerable and helpless lyrics that opened up even more on Lonerism from Innerspeaker.

Lonerism kicks off with “Be Above It”, a fantastic opener that whets the listener’s palette with compressed drums while also giving a taste of the synthy sounds to follow. Over this whole song, recordings of Parker whispering “gotta be above it” can be heard weaving within and around the driving drumline. Parker reminds himself of the standards he holds himself and to not “let them bring me down". Wavy synths ripple throughout the track’s mix, building soundscapes that echo and resonate like a hallway in your head.

Then begins “Endors Toi” which starts to introduce the explosive nature of this record. Although short at just over three minutes, the explosive guitar riffs and epic drum fills fill the listener with anticipation for the rest of the record. From the fluttering arpeggios to the incessant crash cymbals ringing and the psychedelic delay effects, this song is total sensory overload. The introspective tone of the album becomes clearer as Parker narrates his coyness towards the future but carries on his self-affirmation, echoed from the last song. The song ends with an explosive outro with a short and sweet guitar solo featuring that signature Tame Impala guitar fuzz.

As the one of the longest songs on this album, “Apocalypse Dreams” moves in several phases and two concrete halves that features hands-down some of Kevin Parker’s best songwriting to date. The marching snares resonate in the mix cutting through featured musician Jay Watson’s (GUM, Pond) ringing piano chords, mixing to sound like White Light/White Heat demo. The charging verses trade back and forth between the hulking chorus until a psychedelic bridge full of layered vocals and synths, building the song to a peak and exploding into its second half. Fuzzy guitars and piercing synths ride over an enormous melody with Nick Mason-esque drum fills to ride out the song in a cataclysmic jam sequence for the last few minutes. The lyrics of the song follow the tonal shift too as Parker’s feelings completely change in the second half. Parker, wrought with anxiety and fear in the first half, finally opens up and accepts the unpredictability of the future, allowing the changing world around him to swallow him up saying: “Nothing ever changes, no matter how long you grow your hair, [it] looks the same to everyone else.” The absolute epic scale of this song and its cathartic potential makes it an easy pick as a closer at concerts.

The first leg of the album ends, and Parker’s introspective lens turns outward into social interactions and romance on “Mind Mischief”. With the most memorable riff on the album, “Mind Mischief” is a quintessential rock song complete with chunky guitar riffs, 60’s drum shuffles, and wild vocal wails of heartache. It’s important to note here more than any other song in Tame Impala’s discography of Parker’s brilliant mixing of drums. Parker’s drum

sound really is all thanks to his mixing where he distorts the dickens out of the track to have every drum hit shudder with distortion, giving this deep, crisp sound that lends itself perfectly to Parker's pop melodies. Parker isn’t afraid to flex this either as literally half of the drumming in this song is descending, improvised drum fills. Tame Impala’s signature guitar tone plays between being fuzzy and drenched with effects and simultaneously being incredibly clear and distinct. Every snare, kick, and hi-hat hits like a truck in the mix, mainlining vibes directly into the listener’s bloodstream. The lyrics tell of the classic tale of a casual relationship where one person catches feelings for the other who doesn’t see it that way, and their intimacy continues to mess with Parker's psyche. Even in relationships with others, Kevin feels alienated and his attempts to reach out only turn him deeper inward.

“Music to Walk Home By” continues with more themes of Parker’s romances as he recounts being lost in thought walking home and fawning over a girl he can only dream of. He wallows in his sorrows of not being able to enjoy being social and struggling to be himself. Parker proclaims his insecurity with love and life, calling into the void for someone to comfort him and tell him that it’ll all work out. Washy synths cover every part of this track, making it one of the most electronic songs on the album.

On the next track, we hear Kevin at his most hopeless, struck with deep anxiety worrying how others accept him. On “Why Won’t They Talk To Me”, the message is quite clear. What makes this track truly special is its exhilarating chorus with this adolescent longing for acceptance, howling into the void. This driving four-on-the-floor beat drives under layers of Parker’s vocals that end with a whimper in every chorus.

The radio hits return on “Feels Like We Only Go Backwards” which is inarguably one of Parker's catchiest songs yet. With such simple and relatable lyrics of a slowly deteriorating relationship, “Feels Like We Only Go Backwards” continues to be a fan favorite as well as the song that introduces many to Tame Impala. The song’s glittery pop chords along with one of Parker’s best vocal performances make it one of Parker’s best. Its infectious chorus starts and ends the song, repeated three times finally bringing the song to a satisfying end. It’s perfect blend of its iconic chord progression and the relatable hopeless romantic lyrics is why it is many fans’ first experience with Tame Impala. It’s mix is also surprisingly very pop-appealing for Parker’s standards at the time, who said that before Lonerism he looked down on pop music. “Feels Like…” not only stands alone as a great pop song but also a resolution to Parker’s resentment to pop. Parker turned a new leaf with this song, embracing pop which was a decision incredibly relevant to his development as a soon-to-be master of pop music.

One of my personal favorites “Keep On Lying” follows, taking the speed of the album down for a full song devoted to a psychedelic synth-rock jam. First, “Keep On Lying” starts with a minute or so of Parker singing about a lie he keeps holding with this girl whose love for him he can’t and won’t reciprocate. He can’t build up the courage to tell her that their relationship isn’t meant to be and just continues to let her believe it:

All I give, are little clues

Maybe one day I'll get through

There is nothing I can do,

I just keep on lying to you

I only need to say it's true

Only I already knew

But there is nothing you can do

I just keep on lying to you

Just as Kevin ‘keeps on lying’, the song breaks off from lyrics for about four minutes of pure Tame Impala jamming. The instrumentation drives on but builds with more instruments over time to grow deafeningly loud and psychedelic. The guitars become fuzzier, the synths sharpen, and the drums intensify to explosive proportions. As the climax of the improvisation approaches, samples of distant conversations and manic laughs can be heard, symbolizing Parker’s continuation of this lie he holds against this girl. Ultimately these voices are completely up to interpretation but the feeling of isolation even when surrounded by people is what the section gives off. Similarly, the album cover tells the same story, with the camera’s perspective viewing this park filled with people behind the imposing bars of a gate, separating Kevin from the crowd he wants to join. The tone relaxes, the jam ends, and the listener comes back down to earth. The same lyrics return for the fade out of this song, implying the lie never really ended. Even on Lonerism which has been such a pop-centric album so far, this jam session never feels out of place and instead fits perfectly in its place in the tracklist.

“Elephant”, is the climax of Lonerism, opening with this huge, imposing heavy metal riff that sounds like something off a Black Sabbath album. The riff is badass and stands out in the multitude of dreamy melodies in the rest of the album. The lyrics talk of a machismo man, back on his bullshit and feeling like a king, who “broke the mirrors off his Cadillac, cuz’ he doesn’t like it looking like he looks back.” The swaggering stride of the lyrics’ subject perfectly matches the tone of the song which breaks from the lyrics, striding into a electrifying keyboard solo. Just like in “Keep On Lying”, an explosive and satisfying jam section struts with this synth that towers upwards and crashes down like a battle happening in your ears. Being the most confident song on the album, “Elephant” exudes positive energy and is a highlight for any listener, metalhead or not.

A short interlude succeeds “Elephant” with Pet Sounds-esque strings and harmonies, emotional lyrics on distrust, and a bit of shredding just before the longest song by duration and title length: “Nothing That Has Happened So Far Has Been Anything We Could Control”. At just one second short of six minutes, “Nothing...” features several phases and some of the most textured instrumentation on the album. The synth chord progression in this song is so lush and full, it envelopes the listener in the beauty of the new world that Parker has found himself in. In the first leg of the track Parker sings personal lyrics of his acceptance of the unpredictability of the world with some of his wisest lyrics: “Every man is happy until happiness is suddenly a goal”. The song breaks away from the lyrics and leads into an intense synth solo cascading over these choppy improv drum fills that hold the rhythm together.

Lonerism comes to an end with “Sun’s Coming Up”, a drastically quieter song compared to other tracks on the record. Almost like the ending of a long tumultuous night of partying and/or crying, this track releases the tension held throughout the album. This dramatic piano ballad feels like the end of the party, as every drunk saunters out and the mess of the night before is left. Kevin alludes to the loss of his father, who died of skin cancer just before the release of Innerspeaker: “Playing his guitar, while he’s dying of cancer. Oh my father, why won’t you answer?”. The somber lyrics are full of despair and unrest, almost like the “lonerism” in the album won’t end. The rest of the song allows for a lonely send off, as it ends with a short ambient sequence, spliced with field recordings of traffic and reverbed improv guitar strumming.

Lonerism flows perfectly with a well-paced track list, between explosive and anticipative instrumentation while Parker spills his heart on the lyrics about love, anxiety, and confidence. This album is a step above the debut in how really perfected Tame Impala’s signature sound and executed it with the objective pop appeal. Everything on this album was a direct improvement from Innerspeaker and showed a lot of promise for what Kevin Parker had next.

Part 2: Currents

The next three years, Tame Impala exploded in popularity moving from small venues to sold out at main stage. The pressure of the world was on Parker’s shoulders as his fanbase blew up. After the tours and festivals, Parker went back to the drawing board, isolating himself from the world months at a time to write his next album. Over a good half of 2014, Tame Impala retreated to solitude in creation for his new album. He returned to his beach house in Fremantle, Australia with more experience and greater drive to travel into the fog of the sonic abyss than ever. With more synths and less guitars then before, Parker set his sights on experimental perfection, toiling over track lists and teasers until release finally season came again.

Currents was released on July 17th, 2015 on Modular Recordings with assistance in distribution from Universal Music Australia. Unlike its predecessors, Currents featured absolutely zero collaborators. From basic ideas all the way to the final stages of mastering, Parker completely produced this album on his own. Just the concept of completely producing an entire album front-to-back alone was impressive enough, but nobody could have expected how the final product would come out.

The first teaser track released kicks off the album as not only the longest track in Tame Impala’s discography, but also as one of the most expansive psychedelic tracks of 2015. “Let It Happen” is a sonic masterpiece split into several concrete sections that ebb and flow together like colors in a living painting. Ambient synths fade in from the silence, airing in a new phase in Tame Impala’s sound and discography. The beat enters with a signature-Tame Impala beat that endlessly builds anticipation, keeping time over these interesting assertive synths that pierce your eardrums. Parker’s reverb-soaked vocals are mixed distantly, flying above the rest of the instrumentation. Unlike the opening of Lonerism, the synths in this opener are ethereal and feel larger than the blocky vintage synths fans are used to. The verse approaches and the theme of foreboding is introduced: “Let it happen, let it happen (it’s gonna feel so good)”. The drums are EQ-ed down as a chorus of Parker’s ethereal vocals come over, slowing down the tone from the verse. Parker sings of a “an ocean growing inside, now all the others seem shallow”, implying of an event, ever-approaching that Kevin will have to face. The mood of the first half of this song is anticipation for something, and the suspended instrumental bridge that follows builds the tension even more. Eventually the beat begins skipping and moves away in the mix as these hovering strings build fear in the listener, until a warping arpeggio appears that messes with strings, leading to an explosion. The synths, drums, bass crash back into the mix like a meteor with one of the tightest sequences on the album. The synths hit harder than ever, attacking like beams of light flying from a disco ball. Just thinking of the drop in the song gives me goosebumps. Parker’s vocals return in euphoric phased gibberish in a sequence he refers to as “speaking in tongues”. A splitting guitar solo follows right before the outro where all these elements combine with more lyrics declaring “maybe, I was ready, all along, oh maybe, all I wanted, was the sound”. The instrumentation fades out softly leads into the album not only being a legendary opener for Currents, but also going down in history as one of the 2010’s best psych-rock tracks.

Following “Let It Happen” begins a practice that exists in most Tame Impala albums but primarily in Currents than anywhere else. “Nangs” is one of this album’s many transition tracks that last for a minute or two, exploring a small, interesting melody or idea while pacing out the album’s lengthy tracks. The synth that opens and lasts through this song is very visual, with these warping, round oscillations reaching every part of the sonic range.

Robotic kicks hit the ground running and introduce the chugging rhythm on “The Moment”, one of the danciest tracks on Currents. “The Moment'' uses some of Tame Impala’s brightest and poppiest synths on the album to awaken energy in the listener. Midway through the song, a ripping solo sails through the mix, sounding like a David Gilmour solo meshed within a sharp synth. The lyrical content started from this song and carried throughout most of this album is on Parker’s relationship and breakup with Melody Prochet, leader of Melody's Echo Chamber. Specifically, “The Moment'' talks about Parker feeling the exact moment of breakup coming closer and that it will inevitably happen.

Currents begins its second leg with “Yes I’m Changing” which is a dramatic cooldown from the first three songs. The slow chunky drum beat rides under these starry orchestral synths. As Kevin confronts more themes of introspection and reflects with his partner on his growing feelings of transformation. Unlike “Let It Happen”, the emotions here are clearer and more confrontational as if Kevin is gradually taking control of his feelings. The slow meditative beat matches the mood like a slow walk in a forest at night under the glimmer of the stars. As the song progresses, recordings of car horns and traffic appear almost as if the change is complete and it’s time to face the world again.

“Eventually” opens with this fuzzy droning siren that lingers like feedback until the beat approaches, beeping like a vehicle in reverse. And when the beat finally drops, it hits like a bus with this enormous groovy riff that sways back and forth in the verses of the song. The beat makes space for Kevin’s vocals as celestial synths ride over a commanding bassline. The upbeats alternate between snaps and claps, giving a Motown feel that’s reaffirmed by Parker’s double-tracked vocals. The bridge is even more melancholic but chimes in with reassuring vocals: “But I know that I’ll be happier, and I know you will too”. “Eventually” is the end of the breakup arc within the first half of Currents, as Kevin reaffirms to the partner that the breakup is necessary, and that they’ll be happier out of the relationship. The incredibly short chorus has Kevin wailing “Eventually!” into the void with a tone so cathartic, it could be a B-side for Pink Floyd’s The Wall but with more glitter and white wine. The song’s various memorable phases run smoothly together like butter. Out of every song on the record “Eventually” perfectly paces its verses, bridges, and choruses to make its five-minute runtime flow seamlessly with hits of tension and release.

“Gossip” ends the first half as a short instrumental interlude with these chattering synths symbolizing the melodramatic gossip that follows a breakup.

“The Less I Know The Better” stands out in the track list for two specific reasons. First, this song features some of Parker’s catchiest songwriting ever. From the earworm vocal lines, to the sticky guitar chords and keys, to the rocking bassline so iconic it tops many “Most Important Songs of the 2010’s” lists, this song is infectious. Even just the first few notes in the intro send chills down the spines of every indie kid listening to it for the last 5 years. Second, Parker’s unique production truly shines in all the aspects of this song. The drums are so upfront and punchy while staying raw and crunchy that it was this song that brought Tame Impala’s unique sound into the mainstream. The bassline is perfectly mixed around the drums to combine and make a monstrous groove that complements the wavy synths surrounding it like pebbles dropping in a pond. Even in the chorus, washy electric piano keys flow over the stripped-down snare and bass notes so powerful, they can only be described as a “vibe”. The lyrics are about a hopeless romantic who is seething with envy watching his lover get the “that guy” and begs her to “convince [her] lover to change his mind”. In the outro, the chord progression shifts and the beat rides out with mellotron synths as Parker reluctantly mutters to his competitor: “Come on Superman, say your stupid line”. At this stage in the album, the general break-up narrative is broken and Kevin moves on to a more diverse set of stories.

“Past Life” is an introspective cut where Parker inserts spoken word samples telling his experiences of reencountering a past lover in the wild long after the relationship’s been through. His complicated relationship with this person makes him experience deja vu and it “feels like a past life”. The whole song structure is built off of a one-measure long sequence he plays over and over, feeling like the replaying of old memories in his mind. The song definitely doesn’t need to be as long as it is but it plays well with its simple idea.

“Disciples” is another short interlude, exploring Parker’s life as a hopeless romantic while playing with effects and catchy drum beats for just under two minutes.

“‘Cause I’m A Man” stands as one of the most polarizing songs on the record for its surface level appearance and how listeners interpreted it. Some have interpreted the chorus “‘Cause I’m a man, woman, don’t always think before I do” as a declaration of pride in men’s carelessness. Parker responded in an interview with Stereogum saying: “It’s really meant to be interpreted more like ‘I’m a man’ as in ‘I’m a human. I’m merely a man,'”, almost as if the song really means to rather confront male fragility and insecurity. The instrumental is a sleepy and slow beat that I’ll come back to later.

“Reality In Motion” opens with more of the glittery and gimmicky synths that made the first half so enjoyable. Its new wave-y melody that opens the song and carries it through most of it stays dynamic as it weaves through the many synths surrounding it. The amount of different phases in “Reality in Motion” is both impressive and enchanting as it stretches its four-minute runtime to feel like one of the longest songs on the record. Its quick pace through its many paces exemplifies the song’s theme of getting dragged out of the moment from feelings of anxiety and indecision.

“Love/Paranoia” races through various different phases just like the song that came before it, each complete with their own unique synths and melodies but with a more robust structure. Its linear progression through various different styles and steps of the story make it feel like a “Happiness Is A Warm Gun” of the digital age. The stages of the song feel like stages in a discussion with his partner as he tries to explain his paranoia. First, confronting how his partner’s words hurt him incited a deep sense of pain he didn’t think he could have. This intro section sways between these chime synths and Parker’s airy choral vocals. Then, Kevin slows down the beat to finally reveal how much those words hurt him: “I’ve heard those words before, are you sure it was nothing, ‘cause it made me feel like dying.” This sentiment is paired with a much more contemplative chord progression, almost like a transposing of one earlier in “Yes I’m Changing”. Those signature Tame Impala snares come in the latter half of this section to lead straight into the next section as Kevin reaches the root of how he reached this paranoia. These emotional string synths surround the melody as Kevin gives some of Currents’s most emotional lyrics, singing

“True love is bringing it out of me

The worst in me

And I know now

Do you remember the time we were

The time we were by the ocean?

I didn't care if it was day or night

The world was right where I wanted

Girl I'm sorry”

just before a short guitar solo carries the song out the door.

The creeping synth that opens the epic closer “New Person, Same Old Mistakes” mirrors the very same synth that began the whole journey in “Let It Happen”: foreboding and omnipresent. The groovy but slow beat that most of this song plays over combines some of the greatest elements explored in the rest of this album. The slow chugging beat resembles “Yes I’m Changing”, allowing for meditation between each drum hit while the bassline rocks like “The Less I Know…” or “The Moment”, bringing the unforgettable groove factor for this song. The sporadic and subtle glimmering synths arpeggiate deep in the background like flickering fireflies complementing the hulking size of the song. Even though most of this 6-minute song plays over the same general beat, it never seems to get old and stays interesting primarily because of how well Parker’s vocals guide the song. The vocal melodies constantly shift as they tell the story through a conversation Kevin has with two parts of himself. The dominant side that leads the main vocals declares independence and control over his life, looking forward optimistically and being sure of what he wants saying “[I] Feel like a brand new person, I don’t care I’m in love, I finally know what it’s like”. The contrasting background vocals symbolize his old anxious self who doubts that confidence and condemns it: “But you’ll make the same old mistakes, Stop before it’s too late”. After a short bridge and instrumental detour, Kevin reintroduces the chorus for the outro but has removed the background vocals, symbolizing his new self that wrangling and taking control of those anxieties. This new self doesn’t completely disregard those anxieties and looks to the future with more wonder than blind confidence. The song fades out repeating that same sentiment and as the listener reaches the silence at the end of the song, they are asked to feel Kevin’s acceptance of his breakup and the sequential uncertainty for the future.

Part 3: He Said She Said: Verdict and Analysis

The stark contrast in style and sound between Lonerism and Currents is vast. The crunchy guitar tones and pummeling drum fills of Lonerism and the glittery synths and infectious grooves of Currents rarely intersect aside from Parker’s vocals and maybe the drum tone. The question of “which album is better” I will answer based on several criteria: consistency, longer-lasting sound, and overall importance in Parker’s discography and journey as a solo artist. On all these sections I’ll be calling back to my track-by-track analysis, referring to them on my evaluation of the tracks. After almost a year of thought and intense Tame Impala obesession, I am confident in saying that on track quality, overall experience, and artistic importance, Lonerism is the superior record.

Now now woah there, put your pitchforks down Currents stans, let me explain myself.

Starting at the opener of Lonerism, “Be Above It” is a stellar first taste of the sound on the rest of the record. That driving syncopated drum beat as a base for those kaleidoscopic synths. However, there is no denying the absolute firepower behind Currents’ “Let It Happen” whose fantastic songwriting paired with its flashy synths take the cake for Tame Impala’s best opener.

Things get more contentious between the two records for the first half of each but for the most part, they’re pretty close in quality. The first half of Lonerism features bangers like “Endors Toi” and “Mind Mischief” as well as the epic “Apocalypse Dreams” a favorite of the band to close out sets. Currents brings the heat too with dance hit “The Moment”, groovy meditation “Yes I’m Changing”, and glam-rock epic “Eventually”.

However, after the first halves of these albums is where we see the beginnings of inconsistency in Currents. Yes, the second half begins with the iconic triple-platinum “The Less I Know The Better” but Kevin's commitment to half-baked ideas make the second half seem more like a hazy medley of B-sides as opposed to the fiery energy in the first half. Songs like “Disciples” and “Past Life” are easily forgettable tracks that fall flat both as filler interludes and attempts at fleshed-out tracks.

However, the most egregious song on the second half is “’Cause I’m A Man” whose slow, unchanging, and uninteresting beat feels like a pause on all the enjoyment of the album. The song is trying to go for a sexy, slow burner kind of vibe but just falls flat. Its lackluster songwriting stands out for it feeling like an awkward lull in the party. The song just repeats the same structure twice and ends with nothing else. Although the song’s lyrics are robust, Tame Impala fails on the instrumental and makes the song an immediate skip for me.

“Reality In Motion” struggles with a bit of the same issues in the previous song. The gimmick revolves from this feeling of déjà vu and Kevin plays on that by repeating various sections, finally reaching the end where he plays the same section over and over until the fade out. The issue with this is that the gimmick inherently forces it to be a stale track, and by two minutes in you’ll feel like it should be over already. I don’t blame the idea because if well executed, it could have stuck the landing better but that’s not how it landed here.

Meanwhile, Lonerism’s second half starts off with a bang with “Feels Like” and continues that electric momentum with the psychedelic centerpiece “Keeps On Lying” and the stadium-sized head banger “Elephant”. Normally, by this time in the record the audiences would feel tired but Kevin perfectly paces it so that this leg of the record explodes as the climax and keeps the listeners invested.

Currents recovers and follows through well at the end of its B-side with “Love/Paranoia” and “New Person…” but the lull in the second half really weighs the whole record down, feeling more like thirty-minutes of good music than fifty.

Lonerism even stands as just a better group of tracks. The overall quality of each song is so much more refined than on Currents. While Currents struggles in its latter half from excessive filler and skippable snooze fests, Lonerism still shines. A quieter track like “Music To Walk Home By” offers interesting songwriting and hopeless romantic lyrics and “Nothing That Has Happened…” glides over an extensive shapeshifting synth-rock jam. Unsung banger “Why Won’t They Talk To Me?” channels the repressed childlike insecurities in all of us all while staying memorable and kinetic. Aside from the short interlude “She Just Won’t Believe Me”, Lonerism pulls no punches and consistently offers hit after hit.

Currents often drowns in its interludes that drag the album on and feel like mere filler to pad out the album. One interlude (maybe even two!) would be enough to space out the album and let it breathe but the three interludes are a slog when listening to the whole album. The interludes themselves aren’t even half bad, it’s just that they nearly make up a fourth of the track list and take away too much attention from the full songs. Even if he didn’t have extra material to take up that space, he should have just cut them all out! This record is long enough at 51 minutes; I’m sure audiences wouldn’t be furious if you left out the unfinished fragments for the deluxe edition.

The unique tone of the Currents is surely nothing to shake a stick at though. When Kevin Parker dove into synthpop, he really followed through. Even though there are bits of guitars and just a few lengthy instrumental segments, Currents greatly shifted in tone from its predecessor. Kevin set his sights away from flexing guitar riffs and jams and really focused on new sounds and post-production manipulation. The iconic intros in “Eventually” and “The Less I Know The Better” are elevated by their effects and makes those first few seconds of each song more exciting.

However, the gimmicky nature of even songs like “Yes I’m Changing” loses its charm over time. Although I can’t help but go on and on about my love for “Let It Happen”, its 3-and-a-half-minute instrumental breakdown can get tedious sometimes and feel just a tad too decadent. “The Moment”’s uncanny similarities to Tears for Fears “Everybody Wants To Rule The World” is a resemblance so strong it often becomes distracting. The synths of this record are a double-edged sword: often being the reason listeners are drawn in but are a little too shallow to keep you in love with them forever.

Now, contrast to Lonerism where the synths are generally more subtle, and have just the right amount of camp to never grow old. While standing backup, the synth sounds of Lonerism are never stealing the spotlight and always work in tandem with the guitars and the drums to emphasize Kevin’s voice. “Feels Like We Only Go Backwards” is a perfect example of this, with the airy mellotrons elevating Kevin’s voice instead of taking mainstage.

Even when the synths do stand in the foreground, they are in places where they should be. Most notably, “Elephant” and “Keep On Lying” lie dead center in the record and work as a catharsis for all of the indulgent synth passages Parker had been holding in. Because the album is so well paced, it never feels tiring to get through the 4-minute jam session on “Keep On Lying” or the flourishing solo in “Elephant”..

The final reason I choose Lonerism over Currents is because its direction was very much an important turning point in Tame Impala’s discography. Hot off the tour for Innerspeaker, Kevin learned to appreciate pop music more. With that direction in mind, it’s very easy to hear the change in tone between the first two albums. Although these two records share the same instrumentation for the most part, the directions in what they do with them are vastly different.

While Innerspeaker literally opens itself up with a minute long psych-rock instrumental, Lonerism goes right for the head with “Be Above It”, an experimental pop intro that plays with synths over repeating samples and a simple pop chord progression. Innerspeaker’s lengthy jam sequences feel much less earned and drag along the record. “Runway Houses City Clouds” particularly is way too long to warrant its seven minute runtime while “I Don’t Really Mind” and “Lucidity” lose pop appeal from confusing song structure.

Nevertheless, Tame Impala proved themselves as an up-and-coming band with a unique sound after Innerspeaker. Although their songwriting wasn’t quite top quality yet, their production is what got them on so many ‘AOTY’ lists. This transition between indie rock band to up-and-coming psych-pop powerhouse is why Lonerism is so important. They turned from a cute indie project to pop geniuses with this record. The commitment from making rock music to making pop music is what made Tame Impala. Parker’s overly meticulous process of building a song from the ground up started at Lonerism and is why Tame Impala is what it is today.

There’s no denying the stark change in quality and tone in between a single like “Why Won’t You Make Up Your Mind” and “Feels Like We Only Go Backwards”. The former earned its recognition for its psychedelic guitars and its love-struck lyrics but the latter beams with energy in all those departments and more. “Feels Like…” just reeks with “Tame Impala-isms” in spades, with its swaying bassline and explosive drum fills, to Kevin’s dreamy but strained vocals and the wailing synths. On all grounds, “Feels Like…” still stands as Parker’s refined pop hit masterpiece.

But just like Innerspeaker, Tame Impala traversed a new frontier of his sound in Currents. Similar to his debut when he exposed the world to his unique production style in psych rock, Parker used Currents as his break into the world of synth pop. In both records, you can hear the child-like wonder of Parker exploring new sounds. The lengthy psych rock riffs of the Innerspeaker mirror the glimmering synth beams of Currents in how Kevin arranges them as the highlights of each track.

However, I think this very aspect creates the pitfalls in each album. As Parker indulges in the lengthy passages of “Runway Houses City Clouds” or the tape-skipping breakdown of “Let It Happen”, the focus of the songs shifts away from pacing and songwriting and towards gimmicks. Parker focusing on the flashy sound of the album rather than the songwriting for the tracks hinders the record’s long-lasting quality as an experience. Innerspeaker sounds dated for various reasons but I propose it is because of a perspective: after audiences heard its follow-up, the raw sounds of the debut grew less appealing compared to the focused and refined versions of those same sounds in Lonerism.

The conservative use of gimmicks and psych rock-isms on Lonerism is what makes it so much more timeless. The approach of using the 2010’s psych rock sound to deliver unique songwriting and melodies rather than just showcasing them is why Lonerism will retain longer-lasting quality than Currents.

Immediate impact and quality is still something I want to factor into my opinion, but I feel Currents has already begun to exhaust some of its magic. Part of a great album’s character is its ability to still sound fresh over time, and Lonerism clearly stands as the album that will last longer between the two. From the consistent quality, to the no-bullshit songwriting, the cinematic track list, and everything in between, Lonerism delivers a stronger overall album experience than Currents.

Epilogue: It Might Be Time

As you are aware dear reader, The Slow Rush was released on February 14th 2020. It featured Parker digging deeper into synth-pop but instead fusing it with 80s disco grooves. To say the least, it was met with mixed responses. Pseudo indie kids toting their Currents vinyls and adorned in Coachella merch were frustrated with Parker’s more subtle approach and were yearning for glitzy synth passages and glittery slow burners to trip acid to (that’s me). Now, I don’t want to spoil too much about my soon to come review of the record but I think there’s relevance to this article out of this new release.

As I’ve said before, Innerspeaker was a raw crapshoot of Parker’s psych-rock tendencies that would soon be refined and concentrated into Lonerism. The debut was intriguing for audiences but they were floored to see Lonerism fill in the holes in the Tame Impala psych-rock sound holding it back from being the pop powerhouse it was bound to be.

Parker chose to experiment once again with Currents, taking a shot in the dark at a subgenre he once again had no professional experience in. Instead of backpedaling, Parker dove deeper into the synth pop sound with the follow-up The Slow Rush, which sought to resolve the missing songwriting and pop fundamentals from Currents. Just as Lonerism refined Innerspeaker, The Slow Rush refines Currents.

And Currents deserves credit for being as bold as a statement it was for Tame Impala. There would be no jump from Lonerism to The Slow Rush without this album as a transitional period in between. Even though the record has its due faults, it was iconic, and contemporary fans still love it for what it is. I admit that in researching this, I’m reminded why Currents was the record that hooked me on to Tame Impala in the first place. Those rich synth melodies and the punchy drums blew my mind and my love for the artist brought me all the way to writing this 7322 word essay on it.

I cherish those memories that Currents gave me and I see Tame Impala as an important artist in my development as a critic and as a musician. But later down the road when I want to re-experience the magic that got me into it all, I’m going to reach for Lonerism.

Thanks for reading if you did, I appreciate the attention and hope you have a good day!

-Benji

I don't claim to own the rights to any of these images, they go to their respective owners. This article has images I found on Google.