Tame Impala, psychedelic rock/pop group consisting of Kevin Parker, released its long anticipated fourth studio album, The Slow Rush, on February 14th of this year. The record focuses greatly on different aspects of time and the relation of them to the experiences of Parker throughout his life. Kevin Parker consistently writes and produces genius music time after time, and fans were waiting for this album from him for nearly five years. Now that it’s here, I’ve decided to rank my favorite songs.
- “Lost in Yesterday”
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This song is my number one for many reasons. From the catchy rhythm and funky bass to the great lyrics and the overall meaning behind the song, I just love everything about it. Parker mainly talks about memories on this track. He focuses on either embracing those that come back to you, or forgetting about them and moving on. The feelings of nostalgia play well into the album’s theme of time, and the upbeat instrumentals make it easy to listen to on repeat. The music itself, as well as the message behind the song, contribute to the song’s success.
- “Borderline”
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Parker sings about the struggles of a relationship on the brink of failure, as well as his skepticism of the whole concept of love. He discusses the fighting and pain between him and his partner, all while questioning if he can ever even be truly loved. The lyric, “Will I be known and loved? Is there one that I trust?” shows the feelings of when a great relationship fails, or you’ve between searching for love and just can’t find it, a human response is to question whether love itself is even real. The impatience behind wondering if there is anybody out there who you will love and trust you, as well as the irritation of being denied a happy relationship, shines through in this lyric. This questioning by Parker shows how destroyed love leaves people vulnerable and silently hoping for something better, while behind the facade of resentment.
- “Posthumous Forgiveness”
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On the track, Parker very intimately discusses the death of his distant father. He talks about how he wished that he could’ve spent more time with him and have a healthy relationship with him growing up. Looking back on a relationship with a dead loved one is so painful already, but the agony of thinking about all of the things you wanted to do with that person is arguably worse. Parker’s unhappiness with the relationship between him and his father is heartbreaking, and he expresses that all he wanted was to be able to share things with him like a normal father and son do. He wanted his father to be there for him, be proud of and support him, but it’s too late for that and Parker regrets it. This track is probably the deepest and most personal on the album, and I really enjoy its candidness.
- “Breathe Deeper”
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Parker focuses on “breathing deeper” to get through difficult times. The concept in this one is pretty simple and self explanatory, but the music itself is very catchy and I think that’s what I like most about it. This is definitely my favorite instrumentals from the album, but holistically it doesn’t match up to some of the other tracks. The deep sentimental value and lyricism that tracks like “Posthumous Forgiveness” and “Borderline” have is what I’m lacking a bit from this song. With that being said, this is still a bop that I could listen to on repeat.
- “It Might Be Time”
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This song is broadly about the passing of time and how people change through phases. It also addresses the idea of realizing that you’re not who you once were, and that time is constantly changing your persona. I think that the song has a great concept as well as impressive instrumentals to back it up. It’s catchy, fun and has a good pace throughout its entirety. Although I do enjoy the tune as a whole, the lyricism on this one is a little lackluster but makes up for itself in other ways. I feel like this is just a song that I like listening to in general, even if it may not be the greatest or most complex. The middle of the lineup of songs is where it gets hard, because they’re just all so good in their own ways.
- “Is It True”
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I think that this song is a fun one. While other tracks on the album present as more solemn and serious, this one is fast moving and makes you want to dance. In the song, Parker discusses love from the angle of someone who is afraid to commit to a relationship and imagine a future together. Although it is still a serious topic, the instrumentals and lyricism of the song make it sound like more of a funky, electronic tune. Due to the song’s quickness, sharp electro notes and groovy drums, it gives me frantic vibes – almost as though Parker’s mind is raging with conflicting thoughts about the future of his relationship.
- “Instant Destiny”
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This song is a reference to the relationship between Parker and his now wife, Sophie, who got married in 2019. In the song, Parker talks about how he feels confident in his choice to get married to his partner after a long time of delaying and questioning the commitment. The song has a positive, loving vibe to it and discusses his realization of how truly happy he is in this relationship and in his decision to be with his partner forever. The song ends with the quote, “Let’s see how it goes,” and I think that it displays the pure spontaneity of love, and showcases the feeling of jumping right in and seeing what happens. By finally deciding to tie the knot, the couple is ripping off the band-aid and instantly creating their destiny.
- “One More Year”
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On this track, Parker discusses his happiness in life despite the fact that his routine has grown repetitive. He knows that he is headed nowhere by doing the same things year after year, yet he still finds joy in the monotony. The title itself, “One More Year”, refers to the idea of doing this same routine for just one more year before branching out into something new. I think that the quote, “We’re on a rollercoaster stuck on its loop-de-loop, cause what we did one day on a whim, has slowly become all we do,” does a good job at capturing the essence of the song in its entirety and is something that many people can relate to. It shows how you can go from trying something new one day, to having it suddenly become your whole life the next.
- “Tomorrow’s Dust”
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While this is actually a great song and there isn’t much to critique about it, it’s just one of those songs I’m not itching to play over and over. The beat, lyrics and concept are good, yet not so catchy that I go right to the track when I want to listen to the album. This song reminds me greatly of the track “Lost in Yesterday”, which I love, in that it carries the important idea of keeping the past in the past and going straight into the future. Parker states in the song, “And in the air of today is tomorrow’s dust.” This demonstrates that in the present there are always remnants of the future, and it is important to focus on that rather than dwell on the past. Overall, this song is enjoyable yet isn’t capturing me completely.
- “On Track”
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While this song isn’t my favorite, it is most definitely uplifting and moving as it describes the idea of working through hard times in order to reach a happy point in life. I do greatly enjoy both the concept and lyrics of the track, but the instrumentals don’t do it for me. The song is very slow moving and piano driven, which I’m not really a fan of in a song. Despite the fact that I’m not keen on the flow, I do think that it works well with the concept of the song as a whole. The slowness and piano definitely complement the serious idea of persevering against obstacles in life, but still the song holistically isn’t my cup of tea. However, I do respect it as a beautiful song about something meaningful.
- “One More Hour”
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On this track, Parker discusses the main theme of the album, time, throughout different stages of his life. He discusses his past and how he got to the place he is today, as well as goes into what the future has in store for him. While I do think that the song is very fitting for the end of the album, and wraps up the theme nicely, the rhythm and vibe of the song just isn’t my favorite. I think it’s rather bland and not something I listen to often. The lyrics, as always, are awesome, but this time it’s just the music itself that isn’t for me.
- “Glimmer”
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This song is all rhythm and no lyrics. While I really do enjoy the groovy instrumentals, it’s definitely a song that I think could have been left off of the album. Overall, the song doesn’t really do much for me and I often skip it, unless i’m in the mood for a song that’s just instrumentals.
From an artistic standpoint, this album is a masterpiece. It tells a story about “the slow rush” of time, and all of its components, as well as relates it to Parker’s own pressing experiences in life. Although there may be some aspects of the album that I’m not necessarily attracted to as a listener, I definitely think that this record is so beautiful and well put together. It shows just how hard Kevin Parker worked on this and poured his whole soul into 57 minutes worth of music. The content, lyricism, and music goes truly unmatched on this one, and even though I ‘ranked’ the songs, I truly love them all.