ALBUM REVIEW: Tame Impala - The Slow Rush

Tame Impala's newest release is a prime example of staying true to your original sound whilst expanding into musical territory, in a manner that leads to an exciting mix of the proven to be good and gambles that pay off in a big way for the band.

The track "One More Year" begins the album with a powerful vocoded segment that sets the futuristic sound that dominates the album, with the infectious rhythm and falsetto vocals Tame Impala has become known for that create a funky vibe. The more synth-dominated sound set by this song is replicated in many of the tracks, and gives the album as a whole innovation whilst retaining what makes Tame Impala great.

This is not to imply synth is all this album has to offer. One stand out is "Tomorrow's Dust", which is led by an acoustic guitar and has a bongo backing that leaves an impression of nature on the listener and serves to ensure the listener isn't overwhelmed. The follow up track "On Track" also captured me, with an almost lofi-esque mix of piano and airy synth that slowly builds energy as the drums pick up pace. It's a musical journey in 5 minutes that most bands take in a whole album, an opinion I hold for the majority of the tracks.

Throughout this album I find it hard to find a single fault. Admittedly, it doesn't reinvent the sound of Tame Impala as one might after the long hiatus since "Currents", but there's still plenty more to explore here, even with each track on "The Slow Rush" feeling fresh and unique. If you like Tame Impala, and you want more Tame Impala, this album is exactly what you wanted. And in the end, isn't that the whole point of a new release? One could try and completely change the sound, or stick to what is known to work, but innovation whilst meeting demand fully (each of the 12 songs easily passes the 4 minute mark) is what I'd call a perfect album.

In the beginning, "The Slow Rush" asks you for "One More Year", and at the end asks for "One More Day", but throughout it all I often found myself wanting One More Listen. This is an absolutely unmissable album and leaves me with a bolstered appreciation for this musical project and an eager anticipation for where "Tame Impala" will take us next.

Track Listing:

01 One More Year

02 Instant Destiny

03 Borderline

04 Posthumous Forgiveness

05 Breathe Deeper

06 Tomorrow's Dust

07 On Track

08 Lost In Yesterday

09 Is It True

10 It Might Be Time

11 Glimmer

12 One More Hour