2012’s Lonerism, the critically acclaimed and Grammy nominated sophomore record of Australia’s Tame Impala, further explored and improved the neo-psychedelic style found on their debut LP Innerspeaker. Since then, Kevin Parker has collaborated with Mark Ronson on his latest project, the star-studded Uptown Special, and a third Tame Impala record has been greatly anticipated. This week, they released Let it Happen, a one off song, free for download on their website.
The song, which goes on for nearly eight minutes, begins bright and upbeat, led by synths, a groovy bassline, and accompanied by handclaps and drums. Kevin Parker’s dreamy vocals then kick in, singing “there’s always around me all this noise, but not really as loud as the voice saying ‘let it happen’”. Soon the song’s chorus enters, focusing on a filtered and cloudy haze of hypnotizing vocals. Parker’s confused thoughts set its tone with words such as “all this running around, trying to cover my shadow. An ocean growing inside, all the others seem shallow”. During the chorus is when the words and the music feel most connected. The main upbeat loop of the verse encapsulates the overwhelming world he describes, which he can’t keep up with in the lyrics. The chorus feels like Parker’s tired mind taking a breath, blocking out the background noise of his surroundings. Towards the end, each minute feels like its own separate chapter. The lack of guitars are made up for through synths, strings, loops, and a brilliantly produced atmosphere.
The band’s representatives have stressed that the track might not be the lead single to an upcoming follow-up to Lonerism, but rather a treat for fans. Perhaps this lack of ties to the structure and co-dependence between songs found in entire record, is what makes the track so multi-faceted. Tame Impala have particularly mastered the art of seamlessly transitioning their songs in an album. Whether or not Let it Happen means a new record, the song proves Tame Impala are still in shape, and offers a glimpse of what concepts they have been experimenting with lately.
You can download let it happen here.
Here are the dates to their forthcoming tour.
04/08: Pomona, California at Fox Theatre
04/10: Indio, California at Coachella
04/17: Indio, California at Coachella
05/08: Austin, Texas at Austin Psych Fest
05/09: New Orleans, LA at Civic Theatre
05/10: Atlanta, Georgia at Shaky Knees Music Festival
05/11: Nashville, TN at Ryman Auditorium
05/13: Minneapolis, MN at First Avenue
05/14: Milwaukee, WI at Riverside Theatre
05/15: Chicago, IL at Riviera Theatre
05/16: Columbus, OH at LC Pavilion
05/18: Royal Oak, MI at Royal Oak Music Theatre
05/19: Toronto, Ontario at Massey Hall
05/20: Montreal, Quebec at Metropolis
05/22: Boston, MA at Boston Calling
05/25: Quincy, WA at Sasquatch Festival 2015
05/26: Vancouver, British Columbia at Malkin Bowl
05/27: Portland, OR at Roseland Ballroom
05/29: Salt Lake City, UT at The Depot
05/30: Denver, CO – Ogden Theatre
05/31: Kansas City, MO at Uptown Theatre
06/01: St. Louis, MO at The Pageant
06/03: Pittsburgh, PA at Stage AE
06/04: Cleveland, OH at House of Blues
06/05: Cincinnati, OH at Bunbury Music Festival 2015
06/06: Washington, D.C. at Echostage
06/07: New York, NY at Gov. Ball Randalls Island
08/20: Viana Do Castelo, Portugal at Paredes de Coura
09/04-06: Dorset, England at End of the Road Festival
09/04-06: Dublin, Ireland at Electric Picnic
09/06: Co. Laois, Ireland at Stradbally Hall
09/08: Glasgow, Scotland at Barrowland
09/09: Liverpool, England at Olympia
09/10-13: Downend, England at Bestival
09/13: Berlin, Germany at Lollapalooza
You must be logged in to post a comment.