Tame Impala is the
psychedelic music
Psychedelic music (sometimes called psychedelia) is a wide range of popular music styles and genres influenced by 1960s psychedelia, a subculture of people who used psychedelic drugs such as LSD, psilocybin mushrooms, mescaline, and cannabis to ...
project of Australian multi-instrumentalist
Kevin Parker. In the recording studio, Parker writes, records, performs, and produces all of the project's music. As a touring act, Tame Impala consists of Parker (guitar, vocals), Dominic Simper (guitar, synthesiser),
Jay Watson
Jay Watson (born 27 May 1990 ) is an Australian multi-instrumentalist, producer, singer and songwriter. He is best known as a member of the psychedelic rock bands Tame Impala and Pond. Watson records solo material under the name GUM and, as of 2 ...
(synthesiser, vocals, guitar),
Cam Avery
Cameron Avery (born 21 April 1988) is an Australian multi-instrumentalist, musician, singer and songwriter. He is best known as a member of the bands Pond and Tame Impala, and as the frontman for The Growl.
Early life
Born in East Fremantle, ...
(bass guitar, vocals), and Julien Barbagallo (drums, vocals). The group has a close affiliation with fellow Australian
psychedelic rock
Psychedelic rock is a rock music Music genre, genre that is inspired, influenced, or representative of psychedelia, psychedelic culture, which is centered on perception-altering hallucinogenic drugs. The music incorporated new electronic sound ...
band
Pond
A pond is an area filled with water, either natural or artificial, that is smaller than a lake. Defining them to be less than in area, less than deep, and with less than 30% emergent vegetation helps in distinguishing their ecology from th ...
, sharing members and collaborators, including
Nick Allbrook, formerly a live member of Tame Impala. Originally signed to
Modular Recordings
Modular Recordings (known simply as Modular) is an Australian record label founded in 1998 by Steve Pavlovic that is currently owned by Universal Music Australia. It has released music from local artists such as Eskimo Joe, Ben Lee, The Avalan ...
, Tame Impala is now signed to
Interscope Records
Interscope Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M imprint. Founded in late 1990 by Jimmy Iovine and Ted Field as a $20 million joint venture with Atlantic Records of Warner Mus ...
in the United States and
Fiction Records
Fiction Records is a British record label founded by Chris Parry in 1978, owned by Universal Music Group and based in the United Kingdom. It is best known for being the home of The Cure for over 20 years. It was originally a part of Polydor, ...
in the UK.
Parker originally conceived the project in
Perth
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...
in 2007. After a series of singles and EPs, Tame Impala's debut studio album, ''
Innerspeaker
''Innerspeaker'' is the debut studio album by Australian musical project Tame Impala. Recorded at a remote beach shack in Western Australia during the winter of 2009, the album was released on 21 May 2010 by Modular Recordings.
''Innerspeaker'' ...
'', was released in 2010; it was certified gold in Australia and well received by critics. Parker's 2012 follow-up, ''
Lonerism
''Lonerism'' is the second studio album by Australian musical project Tame Impala, released on 5 October 2012 by Modular Recordings. Like the band's debut studio album, ''Innerspeaker'' (2010), ''Lonerism'' was written, recorded, performed, and p ...
'', was also acclaimed, reaching platinum status in Australia and receiving a
Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...
nomination for
Best Alternative Music Album
The Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album is an award presented to recording artists for quality albums in the alternative genre at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards. H ...
. Tame Impala's third album, ''
Currents
Currents, Current or The Current may refer to:
Science and technology
* Current (fluid), the flow of a liquid or a gas
** Air current, a flow of air
** Ocean current, a current in the ocean
*** Rip current, a kind of water current
** Current (stre ...
'', was released in July 2015,
and like its predecessor, it won
ARIA Awards
The Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (commonly known informally as ARIA Music Awards, ARIA Awards, or simply the ARIAs) is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music
The music of Australia has ...
for
Best Rock Album
The Grammy Award for Best Rock Album is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality albums in the rock music genre. Honors in sev ...
and
Album of the Year. Parker won the
APRA Award
The APRA Music Awards in Australia are annual awards to celebrate excellence in contemporary music, which honour the skills of member composers, songwriters, and music publisher (popular music), publishers who have achieved outstanding succes ...
for Song of the Year 2016 for ''Currents'' first track, "
Let It Happen". The fourth studio album, ''
The Slow Rush
''The Slow Rush'' is the fourth studio album by Australian musical project Tame Impala, released on 14 February 2020. It follows the 2015 album ''Currents'' and the 2019 singles "Patience" and " Borderline", with the latter serving as the first ...
'', was released on 14 February 2020. At the
2020 ARIA Music Awards
The 2020 ARIA Music Awards are the 34th Annual Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (generally known as ARIA Music Awards or simply The ARIAs) and consist of a series of awards, including the 2020 ARIA Artisan Awards, ARIA Ha ...
, Tame Impala won five trophies.
History
2007–2008: Early career
The origins of the act can be found in the Perth music scene. Parker played in a number of bands, one being the Dee Dee Dums, a rock duo that consisted of Parker (guitar) and Luke Epstein (drums). Tame Impala emerged in 2007 as a
Kevin Parker home-recording project in this period and he posted a number of tracks on
Myspace. This brought interest from a number of labels and eventually, he signed a worldwide deal with the independent
Modular Recordings
Modular Recordings (known simply as Modular) is an Australian record label founded in 1998 by Steve Pavlovic that is currently owned by Universal Music Australia. It has released music from local artists such as Eskimo Joe, Ben Lee, The Avalan ...
in July 2008. To transfer these recordings to a live-stage, Parker enlisted the help of Dominic Simper (bass) and
Jay Watson
Jay Watson (born 27 May 1990 ) is an Australian multi-instrumentalist, producer, singer and songwriter. He is best known as a member of the psychedelic rock bands Tame Impala and Pond. Watson records solo material under the name GUM and, as of 2 ...
(drums) and began playing at some local gigs.
2008–2009: ''Tame Impala'' EP
![Tame Impala](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/85/Tame_Impala.jpg)
The signing was soon followed by the release of their
self-titled EP in September 2008. It reached the number 1 position on the
Australian Independent Record Labels
Australian(s) may refer to:
Australia
* Australia, a country
* Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia
** European Australians
** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists
** Aboriginal A ...
(AIR) Chart and number 10 on the
ARIA Physical Singles Chart, with three songs—"Desire Be, Desire Go", "
Half Full Glass of Wine
"Half Full Glass of Wine" is a song by Tame Impala, released in 2008 on their self-titled second EP. The song was later featured in the end credits for the show ''Entourage'', season 7, episode 3 on July 18, 2010. "Half Full Glass of Wine" came ...
", and "Skeleton Tiger"—receiving national radio airplay on the
Triple J
Triple J (stylised in all lowercase) is a government-funded, national Australian Radio in Australia, radio station intended to appeal to listeners of alternative music, which began broadcasting in January 1975. The station also places a greate ...
radio station.
Tours in 2008 included supports for
You Am I
You Am I are an Australian alternative rock band, fronted by its lead singer-songwriter and guitarist, Tim Rogers. They formed in December 1989 and are the first Australian band to have released three successive albums that have each debuted ...
,
The Black Keys
The Black Keys are an American rock duo formed in Akron, Ohio, in 2001. The group consists of Dan Auerbach (guitar, vocals) and Patrick Carney (drums). The duo began as an independent act, recording music in basements and self-producing their ...
,
Yeasayer
Yeasayer () was an American experimental rock band from Brooklyn, New York, formed in 2006. The band consisted of Chris Keating, Ira Wolf Tuton, and Anand Wilder. They announced their split on December 19, 2019.
History Formation
The band's thr ...
and
MGMT
MGMT () is an American indie rock band formed in 2002 in Middletown, Connecticut. It was founded by multi-instrumentalists Andrew VanWyngarden and Ben Goldwasser. Alongside VanWyngarden and Goldwasser, MGMT's live lineup currently consists of ...
, as well as performances at
Southbound Festival
Southbound was an arts, camping and music festival. A variety of Australian and international artists performed at this event. The festival occurred annually around New Years, at the Sir Stewart Bovell Park in Busselton, Western Australia.
His ...
,
Meredith Music Festival
The Meredith Music Festival (otherwise known simply as Meredith or MMF) is a three-day outdoor music festival held every December at the "Supernatural Amphitheatre", a natural amphitheatre located on private farmland near the town of Meredith i ...
and
Falls Festival
Falls Music & Arts Festival (commonly known as Falls) is a multi-day music festival held annually in Lorne (Victoria), Marion Bay (Tasmania), Byron Bay (New South Wales) and Fremantle (Western Australia), Australia over the New Year's Eve ...
, and national headline tours in support of their EP. Tours in 2009 included a sold-out six-date "Skeleton Tiger" national headline tour and a five-date UK tour (including Nevereverland UK), as well as performances at
V Festival.
Tame Impala appeared on
Triple J's Hottest 100 list in 2008—their first appearance on the list—with "Half Full Glass of Wine" at number 75. The song is also on the Hottest 100 compilation album.
2009–2010: "Sundown Syndrome"
![Tame Impala @ Somerville Auditorium (26 4 2009) (3493410996)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e5/Tame_Impala_%40_Somerville_Auditorium_%2826_4_2009%29_%283493410996%29.jpg)
Tame Impala's first single, "
Sundown Syndrome
"Sundown Syndrome" is a song by Tame Impala, released as a single in 2009. It was the band's first official single release. Its B-side was a cover of the Blue Boy song " Remember Me". The title "Sundown Syndrome" refers to a psychological phen ...
", was recorded at Toerag Studios in London, UK, with recording engineer Liam Watson, while the band was in the UK in March 2009. "Sundown Syndrome" was premiered by
Richard Kingsmill
Richard Kingsmill (born 29 January 1954) is an Australian radio announcer, music journalist and currently Group Music Director of triple j, triple j Unearthed, Double J and ABC Local Radio.
Career
His career at triple j started in 1988 as a p ...
on his "2009" show on Triple J on Sunday 10 May 2009. The song was released in July 2009 on vinyl, and digitally with a cover of "
Remember Me" by DJ
Blue Boy.
The band then headlined the inaugural "Rottofest" in August 2009, an annual comedy, film and music festival held on Rottnest Island off the coast of Western Australia. Following Rottofest, they embarked on a national tour through September and October 2009 in support of the single.
"Remember Me" appeared at number 78 on
Triple J's Hottest 100 for 2009.
"Sundown Syndrome" was included on the soundtrack of the Oscar-nominated film ''
The Kids Are All Right.'' "Half Full Glass of Wine" was used in
HBO
Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...
's popular television series ''
Entourage
An entourage () is an informal group or band of people who are closely associated with a (usually) famous, notorious, or otherwise notable individual. The word can also refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* L'entourage, French hip hop / rap collecti ...
'' as the closing song for an episode.
Tame Impala appeared at the Australian/New Zealand
Big Day Out
The Big Day Out (BDO) was an annual music festival that was held in five Australian cities: Sydney, Melbourne, Gold Coast, Adelaide, and Perth, as well as Auckland, New Zealand. The festival was held during summer, typically in January of eac ...
festival in early 2010, performing alongside bands such as
Muse
In ancient Greek religion and mythology, the Muses ( grc, Μοῦσαι, Moûsai, el, Μούσες, Múses) are the inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in the ...
,
The Mars Volta
The Mars Volta is an American progressive rock band from El Paso, Texas, formed in 2001. The band's only constant members are Omar Rodríguez-López (guitar, producer, direction) and Cedric Bixler-Zavala (vocals, lyrics), whose partnership for ...
,
Kasabian
Kasabian ( ) are an English rock band formed in Leicester in 1997 by lead vocalist Tom Meighan, guitarist and occasional vocalist Sergio Pizzorno, guitarist Chris Karloff, and bassist Chris Edwards. Drummer Ian Matthews joined in 2004. Karlof ...
and
Rise Against.
2010: ''Innerspeaker''
![Tame Imapla at Red Rocks 06-11-10 (4699091737)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c1/Tame_Imapla_at_Red_Rocks_06-11-10_%284699091737%29.jpg)
Tame Impala's debut album ''
Innerspeaker
''Innerspeaker'' is the debut studio album by Australian musical project Tame Impala. Recorded at a remote beach shack in Western Australia during the winter of 2009, the album was released on 21 May 2010 by Modular Recordings.
''Innerspeaker'' ...
'' was released on 21 May 2010. In the UK the official release date was 28 June, but
iTunes
iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mul ...
accidentally made it available for purchase on 12 May. The album was released in the United States on 8 June to general and critical acclaim.
Pitchfork
A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves.
The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to ...
named it Best New Music.
In an interview with
Triple J
Triple J (stylised in all lowercase) is a government-funded, national Australian Radio in Australia, radio station intended to appeal to listeners of alternative music, which began broadcasting in January 1975. The station also places a greate ...
talking about the album's nomination for the
J Award
The J Awards are an annual series of Australian music awards that were established by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's youth-focused radio station Triple J and which are judged by the music and on-air teams from radio stations Triple J, ...
, Parker stated that they had secretly been recording a new album. "Jay and I have been recording pretty compulsively and album number two is nearing potential completion already and I'm so excited about it that I'm having trouble keeping myself from telling you all about it". This came only months after ''Innerspeaker'' was released.
The group toured in mid-2010, commencing the ''Innerspeaker'' album tour on 13 May 2010 as the opening act for
MGMT
MGMT () is an American indie rock band formed in 2002 in Middletown, Connecticut. It was founded by multi-instrumentalists Andrew VanWyngarden and Ben Goldwasser. Alongside VanWyngarden and Goldwasser, MGMT's live lineup currently consists of ...
's 2010 American tour. The band returned to Australia to play at
Splendour in the Grass
Splendour in the Grass (commonly referred to as Splendour) is an annual Australian music festival held at the North Byron Parklands in Yelgun, New South Wales. Since its inauguration, the festival has also been held in various locations near ...
festival, which was followed by a European Tour in July (including an appearance at the
Reading Festival
The Reading and Leeds Festivals are a pair of annual music festivals that take place in Reading and Leeds in England. The events take place simultaneously on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the August bank holiday weekend. The Reading Festiv ...
) and a national Australian tour in October. In November they returned to the UK and Europe for a fifteen date tour, including their largest London headline show to date which was attended by
Noel Gallagher
Noel Thomas David Gallagher (born 29 May 1967) is an English singer, songwriter, and musician. He was the chief songwriter, lead guitarist, and co-lead vocalist of the rock band Oasis until their split in 2009. After leaving Oasis, he formed ...
,
Tom Meighan
Thomas Peter Meighan (, born 11 January 1981) is an English singer and musician, best known as the former lead vocalist for the rock band Kasabian. He enjoyed large-scale success with Kasabian in the 2000s and 2010s. He is said to have an in ...
,
Sergio Pizzorno
Sergio Lorenzo "Serge" Pizzorno (born 15 December 1980) is a British guitarist, singer and songwriter, best known for his work with the rock band Kasabian. He is Kasabian's primary songwriter since the departure of co-composer Christopher Karl ...
,
Noel Fielding
Noel Fielding (; (born 21 May 1973) is an English actor and comedian. He is best known for his work with The Mighty Boosh comedy troupe alongside Julian Barratt in the 2000s, and more recently as a co-presenter of ''The Great British Bake Off'' ...
,
Alexa Chung
Alexa Chung (born 5 November 1983) is a British television presenter, model, internet personality, writer, and fashion designer. She wrote the book ''It'' (2013). Her fashion label Alexa Chung, stylized , launched in May 2017 and closed in 2022 ...
and
Alison Mosshart
Alison Nicole Mosshart (born November 23, 1978) is an American singer, songwriter, artist, and the lead vocalist for the rock bands The Kills and The Dead Weather. She started her musical career in 1995 with the Florida punk rock band Dis ...
, the band then went on to the United States and Canada for twenty headline dates including sold-out shows in Toronto, New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. They also received four 2010
ARIA Music Awards
The Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (commonly known informally as ARIA Music Awards, ARIA Awards, or simply the ARIAs) is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music industry, put on by the Austr ...
nominations which include, "Album of the Year" and "Best Rock Album" for ''Innerspeaker'', "Best Group" and also "Breakthrough Artist".
On 29 November 2010, ''Innerspeaker'' won Australian youth-oriented radio network Triple J's highest honour, winning the J Award for Album of the Year.
2011–2014: ''Lonerism''
![Tame Impala @ Sir Stewart Bovell Park (3 1 2011) (5359140996)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/27/Tame_Impala_%40_Sir_Stewart_Bovell_Park_%283_1_2011%29_%285359140996%29.jpg)
Tame Impala's second album, ''
Lonerism
''Lonerism'' is the second studio album by Australian musical project Tame Impala, released on 5 October 2012 by Modular Recordings. Like the band's debut studio album, ''Innerspeaker'' (2010), ''Lonerism'' was written, recorded, performed, and p ...
'', was released in 2012 and was mixed by
Dave Fridmann
David Lawrence Fridmann is an American record producer and musician.
Career
From 1990 onwards he co-produced most releases by Mercury Rev and The Flaming Lips. Other bands he has worked with include Weezer, Saxon Shore, Neon Indian, Wolf Gang, ...
. Parker said that ''Lonerism'' "represents a departure from his previous work by incorporating an expanded sonic palette, more emotional song writing, and a more pronounced narrative perspective". It was created in a similar set up as ''Innerspeaker'', whereby Parker wrote and recorded the majority of the album by himself at his home in Perth, Western Australia. Parts of the recording also occurred in Parker's home studio in France.
While in France, Parker produced and played on the self-titled
dream pop
Dream pop (also typeset as dreampop) is a subgenre of alternative rock and neo-psychedelia that emphasizes atmosphere and sonic texture as much as pop melody. Common characteristics include breathy vocals, dense productions, and effects such as ...
album by
Melody's Echo Chamber
Melody's Echo Chamber is the main project of French musician Melody Prochet.
History
When Melody Prochet's previous project My Bee's Garden supported Tame Impala on their European tour in 2010, Prochet collaborated with Kevin Parker to produ ...
, the project of French singer
Melody Prochet. As a result, one of the tracks on ''Lonerism'' is titled "Endors Toi", which roughly translates from French to English as "fall asleep". The album cover is a photo taken by Parker of the
Jardin du Luxembourg
The Jardin du Luxembourg (), known in English as the Luxembourg Garden, colloquially referred to as the Jardin du Sénat (Senate Garden), is located in the 6th arrondissement of Paris, France. Creation of the garden began in 1612 when Marie de' ...
in Paris, France, with additional editing by
Leif Podhajsky
Leif Podhajsky is an Australian graphic designer and art director, well known for his distinctive album art working with artists such as Tame Impala, Bonobo, Foals, Kylie Minogue, Of Monsters and Men, Lykke Li, Toy, The Horrors, Mount Kim ...
, a graphic designer who created the album art for ''Innerspeaker''. The image ties into the themes of isolation of ''Lonerism'', with a metal gate separating the viewer from the people in the Gardens.
The band released the song "Apocalypse Dreams" as a free download on 7 July 2012. The first single, "
Elephant
Elephants are the largest existing land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant, the African forest elephant, and the Asian elephant. They are the only surviving members of the family Elephantidae an ...
", was released on 26 July 2012. The album was released on 5 October in Australia, 8 October in the United Kingdom and 9 October in the United States. StillinRock described it as the best album of the year. The album features the songs "Apocalypse Dreams" and "Elephant", which are some of the first songs that Parker has co-written with Watson. "Feels Like We Only Go Backwards" was released as the second single.
![Tame-impala-1350426199](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/ba/Tame-impala-1350426199.jpg)
In November 2012, ''Lonerism'' won the 2012
J Award
The J Awards are an annual series of Australian music awards that were established by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's youth-focused radio station Triple J and which are judged by the music and on-air teams from radio stations Triple J, ...
for Australian Album of the Year. It was the second time Tame Impala had won the award, after also winning it for their debut album, ''Innerspeaker'', in 2010. They are the first band to win the J Award more than once. In January 2013, ''Lonerism'' was selected by ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'' for the 2012 Album of the Year award after the band also won the award in 2011 for ''Innerspeaker''. It was also announced as album of the year by UK magazine ''
NME
''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...
''. Additionally, ''Lonerism'' was voted No. 1 overall by ''Rolling Stone'', Triple J, ''NME'', ''
Filter
Filter, filtering or filters may refer to:
Science and technology
Computing
* Filter (higher-order function), in functional programming
* Filter (software), a computer program to process a data stream
* Filter (video), a software component tha ...
'',
Urban Outfitters
Urban Outfitters, Inc. (URBN) is a multinational lifestyle retail corporation headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Operating in the U.S., the United Kingdom, Canada, select Western European countries, Poland the United Arab Emirates, Kuw ...
, FasterLouder and Obscure Sound's 2012 Album of the Year polls. ''Lonerism'' became the first Australian album to win NME's album of the year. "Elephant" and "Feels Like We Only Go Backwards" appeared at No. 7 and 9, respectively, in
Triple J's Hottest 100 for 2012.
The band began an international tour in 2012 through 2013, supported by
The Growl
The Growl is a band from Fremantle, Western Australia, formed by Tame Impala bass guitarist, and vocalist Cam Avery.
History
The Growl is known for having two drummers. Their first EP was mixed by Brian Lucey, who had worked on The Black Keys ...
. During this tour, they played major festivals such as
Coachella Coachella may refer to:
* Coachella, California
* Coachella Canal, in California
* Coachella (festival), an annual music and arts festival in California
* "Coachella – Woodstock in My Mind", a 2017 song by Lana del Rey
See also
* Coachell ...
and
Sasquatch Festival
Sasquatch! Music Festival was an annual music festival held at The Gorge Amphitheatre in George, Washington, United States. It took place on Memorial Day weekend, running for three to four days.
In 2018, it was announced that the festival was c ...
, and appeared on ''
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon
''Late Night with Jimmy Fallon'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by comedian Jimmy Fallon.[ About pag ...](_blank)
''. For this tour, Watson switched from drums to keyboards, and Parker recruited Julien Barbagallo on drums.
In September 2012, Tame Impala's first U.S. feature appeared on the cover of the publication ''The FADER'', in its 82nd issue.
On 18 May 2013, it was announced via Facebook that Allbrook would leave the band to focus on other musical endeavours, and that Cam Avery of Pond and The Growl would take his place. Allbrook played his final gig with the band on their last Australian tour date of 2013 at Perth's Belvoir Amphitheatre, the same venue that Allbrook played his first gig with the band at in 2008. As a farewell gesture, the band played a cover of
Outkast's "
Prototype
A prototype is an early sample, model, or release of a product built to test a concept or process. It is a term used in a variety of contexts, including semantics, design, electronics, and Software prototyping, software programming. A prototyp ...
".
''Lonerism'' received a 2014
Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...
nomination in December 2013 in the
Best Alternative Music Album
The Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album is an award presented to recording artists for quality albums in the alternative genre at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards. H ...
category.
"Be Above It", the first track on the album, is featured in the 2019 movie
''Waves''. This includes the studio version, the live version from the
Live Versions
''Live Versions'' is the first live album by the Australian psychedelic rock band Tame Impala, released on 19 April 2014 (Record Store Day) by Modular Recordings
Modular Recordings (known simply as Modular) is an Australian record label ...
album and the "Erol Alkan Rework" version.
2015–2017: ''Currents''
![Tame Impala-3730 (18222361334)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a8/Tame_Impala-3730_%2818222361334%29.jpg)
It is believed that Parker started recording the follow-up album to ''Lonerism'' at the beginning of 2014, due to various
Instagram
Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...
posts that showed recording taking place at the Wave House in
Western Australia
Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...
, where ''Innerspeaker'' was recorded.
Prior to this, Parker had been touring with Tame Impala and working on other musical projects, including his disco-funk band, AAA Aardvark Getdown Services. Parker said in May 2013:
Right now, doing another album doesn't excite me. There's something narrow-minded about thinking an album is the only way you can put out music, especially in the world we’re in at the moment. Anything is possible. There's so many people doing interesting things with the internet and technology, there could be so many ways of making music and listening to it. It's 2013 and you can make music anywhere... There are so many possibilities, my brain is overloading on them all. I just need to wait, think about things a bit more. Then I’ll know what to do next.
In May 2014, Parker spoke of his growing inclination toward the recording of another album in a triple J radio interview, explaining: "I'm getting more and more sucked into the world of making an album. It's weird how it happens naturally, it's almost feels like a seasonal thing. I've started to think about tracklistings and all the things that come with an album."
Describing the sound of the new album, Parker said, "I'm gonna try to make it a bit more minimal this time; only use what's needed ... instead of a supreme pizza, where you just throw everything on".
Watson added, "
t’sprobably gonna be less rock again and more electronic again, even more than the last one".
Parker later stated that the inspiration behind the new polished sound of Tame Impala's third album came from listening to a
Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac are a British-American rock band, formed in London in 1967. Fleetwood Mac were founded by guitarist Peter Green, drummer Mick Fleetwood and guitarist Jeremy Spencer, before bassist John McVie joined the line-up for their epony ...
song. He said that the pureness and cleanness of Fleetwood Mac's song prompted him to attempt to create a more streamlined musical style within ''Currents''.
![Tame Impala Lollapalooza 2015-9](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a3/Tame_Impala_Lollapalooza_2015-9.jpg)
On 6 January 2015, Spinning Top Music announced that a new Tame Impala album will be released in 2015.
During the same month, it was announced that the band would perform at the Boston Calling Music Festival in May 2015.
On 11 March 2015, a new song titled "
Let It Happen" was released as a free download.
On 5 April 2015, Tame Impala announced and released the album cover for ''
Currents
Currents, Current or The Current may refer to:
Science and technology
* Current (fluid), the flow of a liquid or a gas
** Air current, a flow of air
** Ocean current, a current in the ocean
*** Rip current, a kind of water current
** Current (stre ...
'' in a Facebook post. A few hours later, the band released the first official single from the upcoming album on Facebook called "
'Cause I'm a Man". Later that month, on 22 April 2015, Tame Impala officially released "Let it Happen" as the second single from the album. One week later, on 29 April 2015, Kevin Parker held an AMA on
Reddit
Reddit (; stylized in all lowercase as reddit) is an American social news aggregation, content rating, and discussion website. Registered users (commonly referred to as "Redditors") submit content to the site such as links, text posts, images ...
, where he provoked fans to ask him to release a new song, then responding with "Disciples", which became the first promotional single for ''Currents''. On 7 May 2015, the band announced that the album would be released on 17 July 2015 and released the third official single, "
Eventually".
During the same 30 April 2015 Reddit AMA, Parker said: "Up until recently, from all of Tame Impala's record sales outside of Australia I had received.... zero dollars. Someone high up spent the money before it got to me. I may never get that money."
![Tame Impala Red Rocks 08](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/46/Tame_Impala_Red_Rocks_08.31.16_%2829359902166%29.jpg)
In October 2017, a
collector's edition
The terms special edition, limited edition, and variants such as deluxe edition, or collector's edition, are used as a marketing incentive for various kinds of products, originally published products related to the arts, such as books, prints, ...
of ''Currents'' was announced. Released on 17 November, it included three B-sides and two remixes.
2018: Other projects
By the end of 2017, Tame Impala announced that they agreed to play the 2018 Mad Cool Festival in Spain, which would be the first live music show the band agreed to play in 2018. Tame Impala also played a headline set at
London's Citadel Festival in July 2018.
In July 2018, during an interview with
Beats 1 anchor host
Matt Wilkinson
Matthew Wilkinson is a British actor, playwright and director.
Acting
Wilkinson trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and has performed in theatre, film, television and animation.
Early theatre work included Alan Bennett's ''The Wind ...
, Parker confirmed for the first time that he had begun working on a new Tame Impala album, adding that he was "ready to play some other songs live" and expressing an interest to headline a stage at
Glastonbury Festival in 2019. He also stated that he would be "very disappointed" if the new record by Tame Impala wasn't released by summer 2019.
On 1 July 2018, Tame Impala teamed up with electronic artist ZHU to create the single "My Life".
In October 2018, Parker played bass for rapper
Travis Scott for a performance of "Skeletons/Astrothunder" on ''
Saturday Night Live
''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves a ...
'', with singer-songwriter
John Mayer also part of the backing band.
On 10 October, the band was scheduled to headline the first night of the annual Desert Daze festival in its new location in Moreno Beach, but had to cut their set short after three songs due to inclement weather.
On 31 October, rapper Theophilus London released a new single in collaboration with Tame Impala under the moniker of "Theo Impala".
2019–present: ''The Slow Rush''
![Tame Impala Primavera19 -255 (48986107241)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4b/Tame_Impala_Primavera19_-255_%2848986107241%29.jpg)
On 2 January 2019, Tame Impala was announced as a headliner for the 2019
Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival
The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival (commonly called the Coachella Festival or simply Coachella) is an annual music and arts festival held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, in the Coachella Valley in the Colorado Desert. ...
. They also headlined the 2020
Primavera Sound
Primavera Sound (commonly referred to as simply Primavera) is an annual music festival held in Parc del Fòrum in Barcelona, Spain that takes place between the end of May and beginning of June. The first edition took place in 2001 in Poble Espanyo ...
festival, making them only the second Australian act to do so. Around the same time, Parker announced that he expected to release a new album during that summer.
On 21 March 2019, Tame Impala released the single "
Patience
(or forbearance) is the ability to endure difficult circumstances. Patience may involve perseverance in the face of delay; tolerance of provocation without responding in disrespect/anger; or forbearance when under strain, especially when faced ...
" and teased new music on Instagram for the forthcoming album. They were the musical guest for ''
Saturday Night Live
''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves a ...
'' on 30 March, with host
Sandra Oh
Sandra Miju Oh (born July 20, 1971) is a Canadian–American actress. She is best known for her starring roles as Rita Wu on the HBO comedy '' Arliss'' (1996–2002), Dr. Cristina Yang on the ABC medical drama series ''Grey's Anatomy'' (2005 ...
. On the show, the band performed "Patience" and a new song, "
Borderline", which was released 12 April. On 25 October, Tame Impala revealed the title of their fourth studio album, ''
The Slow Rush
''The Slow Rush'' is the fourth studio album by Australian musical project Tame Impala, released on 14 February 2020. It follows the 2015 album ''Currents'' and the 2019 singles "Patience" and " Borderline", with the latter serving as the first ...
''. Three days later on 28 October, they released the song "
It Might Be Time", and on 3 December, they released the single "
Posthumous Forgiveness". The album was released on 14 February 2020 and features 12 tracks that were recorded in Los Angeles and in Parker's hometown of Fremantle, Australia.
Josh Terry of ''
Vice
A vice is a practice, behaviour, or habit generally considered immoral, sinful, criminal, rude, taboo, depraved, degrading, deviant or perverted in the associated society. In more minor usage, vice can refer to a fault, a negative character tra ...
'' named Tame Impala his "Artist of the Decade" for the 2010s, writing, "No artist captured how genres cross-pollinated throughout the 2010s better than Tame Impala". He added, "In the age of streaming and the big-box festival bubble, Parker's discography seems factory-made for both a crowd of thousands and a chill night alone with a vibe-heavy playlist" and that "his music embodies the technology-driven sense of loneliness of this decade better than any of his peers".
"
The Less I Know the Better
"The Less I Know the Better" is a song released by the Australian music project Tame Impala on 29 November 2015 as the fourth and final single from their third studio album, ''Currents''. The song's accompanying music video mixes hand-drawn anim ...
" was voted No. 1 in Triple J's
Hottest 100 of the Decade on 14 March 2020. This was the highest ranking for Tame Impala in a Hottest 100 Countdown and the first time the project had attained No. 1 in any Hottest 100. (The same song had previously placed fourth in the 2015 Hottest 100.)
On 20 March 2020, Parker appeared on
The Weeknd
Abel Makkonen Tesfaye (born February 16, 1990), known professionally as the Weeknd, is a Canadian singer, songwriter, record producer, and actor. Known for his sonic versatility and dark lyricism, his music explores escapism, Romance (love), ...
's album ''
After Hours'', producing and providing background vocals on a track called "Repeat After Me (Interlude)". At the
2020 ARIA Music Awards
The 2020 ARIA Music Awards are the 34th Annual Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (generally known as ARIA Music Awards or simply The ARIAs) and consist of a series of awards, including the 2020 ARIA Artisan Awards, ARIA Ha ...
in November, Tame Impala won a further five trophies: "Album of the Year", "Best Rock Album", Engineer of the Year" and "Producer of the Year" for ''The Slow Rush'' , as well as "Best Group".
In October 2021, the band announced that a deluxe box set edition of ''The Slow Rush'' would be released in February 2022.
In March 2021, the band's 2012 song "Elephant", from the album ''Lonerism'', was covered by the Australian children's music group
The Wiggles
The Wiggles are an Australian children's music group formed in Sydney in 1991. The group are currently composed of Anthony Field, Lachlan Gillespie, Simon Pryce and Tsehay Hawkins, as well as supporting members Evie Ferris, John Pearce, Ca ...
for
triple j
Triple J (stylised in all lowercase) is a government-funded, national Australian Radio in Australia, radio station intended to appeal to listeners of alternative music, which began broadcasting in January 1975. The station also places a greate ...
's
Like a Version
''Like a Version'' is a weekly segment on Australian youth radio station Triple J. It involves Australian and international artists playing two songs live in the Triple J studio, one of their own songs (an "original") and then a cover version, h ...
segment. The Wiggles' cover version went on to place at No. 1 in 2021's Hottest 100.
In February 2022, the band released ''The Slow Rush B-Sides and Remixes''.
In May 2022, the band released the single "Turn Up the Sunshine", a collaboration with
Diana Ross. The track is the lead single from the
Jack Antonoff
Jack Michael Antonoff (born March 31, 1984) is an American singer, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and record producer. Antonoff is the lead singer of rock band Bleachers, and is the guitarist and drummer in the pop rock band Fun. He was pr ...
–produced original soundtrack album for the film ''
Minions: The Rise of Gru''. With the exception of this track, the album primarily features new spins on classic '70s hits by artists such as
Brittany Howard
Brittany Amber Howard (born October 2, 1988) is an American musician, singer, and songwriter known for being the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, and main songwriter of rock bands Alabama Shakes, Thunderbitch, and Bermuda Triangle. Her work wi ...
,
St. Vincent
Saint Vincent may refer to:
People Saints
* Vincent of Saragossa (died 304), a.k.a. Vincent the Deacon, deacon and martyr
* Saint Vincenca, 3rd century Roman martyress, whose relics are in Blato, Croatia
* Vincent, Orontius, and Victor (died 305) ...
,
H.E.R.
Gabriella Sarmiento Wilson (born June 27, 1997), known professionally as H.E.R. (pronounced "her", an acronym for "Having Everything Revealed"), is an American singer, songwriter, musician and actress.
She has received several awards includin ...
and many others.
In August 2022, the band collaborated with
Gorillaz on a new song called "New Gold".
Musical style
![Tame Impala-3760 (18222291464)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/76/Tame_Impala-3760_%2818222291464%29.jpg)
Parker's decision to make the music for Tame Impala in the studio by himself is a result of Parker liking "the kind of music that is the result of one person constructing an awesome symphony of sound. You can layer your own voice 700 times for half a second if you want, and I just love that kind of music".
However, Parker has to translate his music to a live setting with the band, and the band doesn't play the songs until they have been recorded. "The only
jamming that's done as a band is done a long time after the song is recorded for the sake of the live environment. It's good for us, because we can take a song that's been recorded and do what we want to it: slow it down, speed it up, make it 10 seconds or 10 minutes long. It gives us a lot of freedom."
Some favoured and often-used effects by Parker include
phasing
A phaser is an electronic sound processor used to filter a signal, and it has a series of troughs in its frequency-attenutation graph. The position (in Hz) of the peaks and troughs are typically modulated by an internal low-frequency oscil ...
,
delay
Delay (from Latin: dilatio) may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* ''Delay 1968'', a 1981 album by German experimental rock band Can
* ''The Delay'', a 2012 Uruguayan film
People
* B. H. DeLay (1891–1923), American aviator and acto ...
,
reverb
Reverberation (also known as reverb), in acoustics, is a persistence of sound, after a sound is produced. Reverberation is created when a sound or signal is reflected causing numerous reflections to build up and then decay as the sound is abs ...
and
fuzz. Experimentation with different effects pedals such as the Roland RE-20 Space Echo has led to Parker creating new and unique sounds. "If you make an effort to not put the pedals in the order you're meant to, then you'll end up with something new-sounding. We don't have any things that we got from another planet or anything; it's the same things everyone else has used. People have a
distortion
In signal processing, distortion is the alteration of the original shape (or other characteristic) of a signal. In communications and electronics it means the alteration of the waveform of an information-bearing signal, such as an audio signal ...
pedal and then a
reverb
Reverberation (also known as reverb), in acoustics, is a persistence of sound, after a sound is produced. Reverberation is created when a sound or signal is reflected causing numerous reflections to build up and then decay as the sound is abs ...
pedal. A reverb is meant to make it sound like it's in a cathedral or something. If you put it the other way around, it won't sound like a guitar being played in a church; it'll sound like a church being stuffed inside a shoebox and then exploded. You can do different things just by treating things differently".
Parker has commented on his process for making music: "I’ll have a sudden, spontaneous vision of a song, have all the parts mapped out in mind, and do my best to record it as quick as I can. I’ll find my eight-track and do a quick demo of just the riff, or a verse or a chorus. The song will go for like 30 seconds. I’ll have a whole bunch of them
emos
Emo is a rock music genre characterized by emotional, often confessional lyrics. It emerged as a style of and hardcore punk from the Washington D.C. hardcore punk scene, where it was known as emotional hardcore or emocore and pioneered b ...
and then I’ll just choose which ones to make into full songs".
Parker has a strong sense of
melody
A melody (from Greek language, Greek μελῳδία, ''melōidía'', "singing, chanting"), also tune, voice or line, is a Linearity#Music, linear succession of musical tones that the listener perceives as a single entity. In its most liter ...
in his music, having composed "excessively melodic music from about the age of 12 to 15".
For Parker, the music comes before the lyrics: "I usually write the lyrics after the melody and its timing have been decided. But the words have to be meaningful. I try to synchronise certain words with the best parts of the melody, but it can be really difficult and does my head in. I like to keep the meaning pretty open and ambiguous so that it's not just me that gets something out of the lyrics. I usually write lyrics from a persona rather than tell a specific story."
Parker also said: "Usually I am sufficiently motivated to think of new songs every day, but I usually forget them. I seem to get an emotional kick out of sensing feelings of general desperation or hopelessness, whether it's me or someone near me or someone in a movie or anything. It's really difficult to sit down and force yourself to write a song, and that forced nature usually comes out in the song, so I just have to wait until they come to me."
Influences
![Tame Impala @ La Riviera, Madrid (9280795653)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e8/Tame_Impala_%40_La_Riviera%2C_Madrid_%289280795653%29.jpg)
Parker's music is heavily influenced by late 1960s and early 1970s
psychedelic rock
Psychedelic rock is a rock music Music genre, genre that is inspired, influenced, or representative of psychedelia, psychedelic culture, which is centered on perception-altering hallucinogenic drugs. The music incorporated new electronic sound ...
. He has stated that he has a "fetish for extremely sugary pop music" from artists like
Britney Spears
Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the " Princess of Pop", she is credited with influencing the revival of teen pop during the late 1990s and early 2000s. After appearing in stage productio ...
and
Kylie Minogue
Kylie Ann Minogue (; born 28 May 1968) is an Australian singer, songwriter and actress. She is the highest-selling female Australian artist of all time, having sold over 80 million records worldwide. She has been recognised for reinve ...
.
Parker also enjoys "fucked-up explosive cosmic music" in the vein of
The Flaming Lips
The Flaming Lips are an American psychedelic rock band formed in 1983 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The band currently consists of Wayne Coyne (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Steven Drozd (guitars, keyboards, bass, drums, vocals), Derek Brown (keyb ...
,
with whom Tame Impala collaborated on the track "Children of the Moon"; the song appeared on the band's 2012 collaborative album ''
The Flaming Lips and Heady Fwends
''The Flaming Lips and Heady Fwends'' is the first album in the "Fwends" series by the American rock band the Flaming Lips in collaboration with a variety of guests.
Recorded throughout 2011 and 2012, the album was released as a limited edition o ...
''.
Combining these two things,
My Bloody Valentine have influenced Parker's music with their contrasting combination of loud guitars and ethereal melodies. Parker has "always been in love with the
wall of sound
The Wall of Sound (also called the Spector Sound) is a music production formula developed by American record producer Phil Spector at Gold Star Studios, in the 1960s, with assistance from engineer Larry Levine and the conglomerate of session m ...
as employed by My Bloody Valentine", and he tries to capture that "melancholy dreamy feel".
Parker tries to incorporate this balance into his own music: "If I was singing, I wouldn't be able to match the tone of the instruments, which is really crunchy. The instruments are quite sonically brutal, but the voice is really soft, and I think that kind of resonates with people. It's kind of like My Bloody Valentine, where it's really brutal sounding, but kind of beautiful at the same time".
Tame Impala live drummer Jay Watson has described Parker's music as containing "
shoegaze
Shoegaze (originally called shoegazing and sometimes conflated with "dream pop") is a subgenre of indie and alternative rock characterized by its ethereal mixture of obscured vocals, guitar distortion and effects, feedback, and overwhelming volu ...
y guitar sound, but not played in a shoegazey manner".
Electronic music
Electronic music is a genre of music that employs electronic musical instruments, digital instruments, or circuitry-based music technology in its creation. It includes both music made using electronic and electromechanical means ( electroac ...
is another influence. Parker has used rock instrumentation in an electronic manner, saying: "The way we do music, it's organic, but it's meant to be quite repetitive and hypnotic, almost in a kind of electronic nature. Using our playing as though it was a living sample".
A heavy feature on ''
Innerspeaker
''Innerspeaker'' is the debut studio album by Australian musical project Tame Impala. Recorded at a remote beach shack in Western Australia during the winter of 2009, the album was released on 21 May 2010 by Modular Recordings.
''Innerspeaker'' ...
'' is a pitch-shifted guitar tone that many mistook for a
synth
A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and ...
. Parker mentioned this by saying: "I had a few obsessions when recording ''Innerspeaker''. One was to make the guitars sound like synths and drums sound like drum samples and pretty much anything except guitars and drums. I'm obsessed with confusing people as to the origin of a sound."
He has described his dream collaboration as "probably
eingsomeone really, really kind of fucked up", citing the electronic artists
Aphex Twin
Richard David James (born 18 August 1971), best known as Aphex Twin, is an Irish-born British musician, composer and DJ. He is known for his idiosyncratic work in electronic music, electronic styles such as techno, ambient music, ambient, and jun ...
and
Squarepusher
Tom Jenkinson (born 17 January 1975), known professionally as Squarepusher, is an English electronic musician, record producer, bassist, multi-instrumentalist and DJ. His music spans several genres including drum and bass, IDM, acid house, ac ...
as examples: "You know, someone that would like scare me, but I'd be able to see how they do all their really insanely headcase stuff and I'd be able to learn from it".
Parker was inspired to take up various creative endeavours at a young age: "I used to draw a lot when I was very young, and I used to get the most immense feeling of satisfaction from finishing a picture and looking back at it, even though I wasn't actually that good. When I started playing music, I got the same feeling from making a song, even if it was just a few noises or drum patterns put together. It was all about the buzz from making something from nothing. Music always affected me greatly as a listener anyway, usually from listening to music in my dad's car or listening to him play guitar".
Lo-fi
Lo-fi (also typeset as lofi or low-fi; short for low fidelity) is a music or production quality in which elements usually regarded as imperfections in the context of a recording or performance are present, sometimes as a deliberate choice. The ...
music is also a favourite of Parker's, and he incorporated it heavily in the early days of Tame Impala, heard prominently on the ''
Tame Impala EP''. With the release of ''Innerspeaker'', Parker went for a different approach to a lo-fi sound, aiming more for a more cosmic and sonic
wall of sound
The Wall of Sound (also called the Spector Sound) is a music production formula developed by American record producer Phil Spector at Gold Star Studios, in the 1960s, with assistance from engineer Larry Levine and the conglomerate of session m ...
, helped by mixer
Dave Fridmann
David Lawrence Fridmann is an American record producer and musician.
Career
From 1990 onwards he co-produced most releases by Mercury Rev and The Flaming Lips. Other bands he has worked with include Weezer, Saxon Shore, Neon Indian, Wolf Gang, ...
. Parker explained: "It sounds more cohesive, like an organism. It has a different emotion to it; it brings out a different feeling when it's absolutely blaring at you. I love that sound."
Parker has also stated that
Supertramp
Supertramp were an English rock band that formed in London in 1969. Marked by the individual songwriting of founders Roger Hodgson (vocals, keyboards, and guitars) and Rick Davies (vocals and keyboards), they are distinguished for blending p ...
, one of his favourite bands, are a major influence on the musical style of Tame Impala. Despite their difference in sound, he feels he is always somewhat "channeling Supertramp".
He has said that listening to the
Bee Gees on mushrooms inspired him to change the sound of the music he was making on ''Currents''.
Members
Studio
*
Kevin Parker – all vocals and instruments, production
(2007–present)
Live
* Kevin Parker – lead vocals, guitar
(2007–present), occasional synthesizer
(2019–present)
*
Jay Watson
Jay Watson (born 27 May 1990 ) is an Australian multi-instrumentalist, producer, singer and songwriter. He is best known as a member of the psychedelic rock bands Tame Impala and Pond. Watson records solo material under the name GUM and, as of 2 ...
– synthesizer, keyboards
(2012–present), backing vocals
(2007–present), drums
(2007–2012), guitar
(2013–2017)
* Dominic Simper – guitar, synthesiser, keyboards
(2010–present), bass guitar
(2007–2013)
* Julien Barbagallo – drums, backing vocals
(2012–present)
*
Cam Avery
Cameron Avery (born 21 April 1988) is an Australian multi-instrumentalist, musician, singer and songwriter. He is best known as a member of the bands Pond and Tame Impala, and as the frontman for The Growl.
Early life
Born in East Fremantle, ...
– bass guitar, backing vocals
(2013–present), synthesizer
(2019–present)
* Rafael Lazzaro-Colon – percussion
(2019–present)
Former live members
*
Nick Allbrook – bass guitar, guitar, synthesizer
(2009–2013)
* Loren Humphrey – drums
(2019; substitute for Julien Barbagallo)
Live band timeline
Discography
*''
Innerspeaker
''Innerspeaker'' is the debut studio album by Australian musical project Tame Impala. Recorded at a remote beach shack in Western Australia during the winter of 2009, the album was released on 21 May 2010 by Modular Recordings.
''Innerspeaker'' ...
'' (2010)
*''
Lonerism
''Lonerism'' is the second studio album by Australian musical project Tame Impala, released on 5 October 2012 by Modular Recordings. Like the band's debut studio album, ''Innerspeaker'' (2010), ''Lonerism'' was written, recorded, performed, and p ...
'' (2012)
*''
Currents
Currents, Current or The Current may refer to:
Science and technology
* Current (fluid), the flow of a liquid or a gas
** Air current, a flow of air
** Ocean current, a current in the ocean
*** Rip current, a kind of water current
** Current (stre ...
'' (2015)
*''
The Slow Rush
''The Slow Rush'' is the fourth studio album by Australian musical project Tame Impala, released on 14 February 2020. It follows the 2015 album ''Currents'' and the 2019 singles "Patience" and " Borderline", with the latter serving as the first ...
'' (2020)
Tours
* InnerSpeaker Tour (2010–2011)
* Lonerism Tour (2012–2014)
* Currents Tour (2015–2017)
* The Slow Rush Tour (2020–2023)
Awards and nominations
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
2007 establishments in Australia
APRA Award winners
ARIA Award winners
Brit Award winners
Australian psychedelic rock music groups
Fiction Records artists
Interscope Records artists
Modular Recordings artists
Musical groups established in 2007
Musical groups from Perth, Western Australia
Neo-psychedelia groups
One-man bands
Psychedelic pop music groups