Music — Consumed

2020 · Tame Impala

The Slow Rush finds Kevin Parker in full control of his sound palette, stretching songs past the six-minute mark without ever losing momentum. The album's central anxiety about time passing is ironic given how much time Parker clearly spent on the production. Every synth line, every vocal layer, every drum hit feels intentional. "Borderline" and "Lost in Yesterday" showcase his ability to write genuinely catchy hooks while maintaining the warped, psychedelic edge that defines Tame Impala.

What makes this album work is the tension between Parker's existential dread and the music's euphoric surface. Tracks like "One More Year" and "It Might Be Time" confront aging and relevance directly, but they do it over beats that demand movement. The production borrows heavily from late 70s disco and early 80s synth-pop, but it never feels retro. Parker processes everything through his particular brand of saturation and modulation, making familiar sounds feel alien.

The album rewards close listening. Parker's bass lines are consistently interesting, his drum programming finds pockets that shouldn't work but do, and his vocal production remains some of the most distinctive in contemporary pop. The Slow Rush doesn't reinvent Tame Impala's formula, but it refines it to a point where the craft itself becomes the statement.