Tame Impala’s newest album "Currents" drops today. A leaked version of the Australian band's third studio album was featured on NPR’s "First Listen," and it has been circulating the internet for a week now generating buzz. Pitchfork compared it to My Bloody Valentine's "Loveless," Radiohead's "Kid A" and Wilco's "Yankee Foxtrot Hotel," while The Guardian called it a "luscious new album."
But even without the hype, it is likely one of the best albums of the year.
"Currents" delves deeply into the inner turmoil of frontman Kevin Parker as he tries to draw connections between a dying romance, his musical career and his persona. Everything seems to be moving too fast for him to process, and he acknowledges the changes without ever being fully convinced of them.
The album starts with "Let it Happen" a tense introduction to the new music and mindset of "Currents." Parker, seemingly talking to himself, asks for the grace to accept life and just "Let it Happen." It starts out seemingly upbeat, but through careful use of repetition and dub, he creates dark, soulful bridge distinctly noted by the orchestral strings that cast a somber light to the psych-disco sound. The slow methodical repetition changing into a new unique sound that morphs and shifts back to a happier, upbeat sound. Parker is changing from "Lonerism" to "Currents." It’s a new direction, yet there is a hint of mourning.
Some of the songs like "Yes, I’m Changing," "Past Life" and the emotional core of the album, "Eventually," center on the last flames of a fading romance, but it’s often unclear whether these songs are addressing: Is it an ex-love, Parker’s fans or an older version of Parker himself? Is it even Parker doing the breaking-up in "Eventually"? Of course, that is not a technique new to any art form, but it adds to the general confusion which doubles as the soul-searching heart of the album.
Perhaps the most notable shift of the album is the transition away from the psychedelic landscape towards a new hybrid. While the album deals with Parker’s personal life, the actual sound of the album is such a distinct new sound for Tame Impala that it asks the question, "What happened?" The album no longer touts the raw psychedelic haze and instead subtly combines disco, R&B and other elements into the still somewhat psych "Currents."
Why the change? Was it the lost love? Was it the fame? Is this what selling out looks like? Or is this part of the natural change that occurs to art as it does in real life? One question flows into another, without ever fully being answered in "Currents," but it makes the album all the more resonant.
And though the "Currents" hints at resolution – Parker reaching some finality and level acceptance of the changes haunting him – it ends with "New Person, Same Old Mistakes." He manages to paint a sonic picture of the struggle we all have in dealing with how fast life moves and with the person we are in the present, past and future.
But the strength of "Currents" lies in the confluence of musicality, personality and psychic pain that Parker packs to his art. It marks a clear shift for the band, but as the album suggests, where it finally leads to is anybody’s guess.
