Kevin Parker is an Award-winning artist known for his work under the name “Tame Impala.” Parker composes the music, writes the lyrics, plays the instruments, and produces all of his own music. Known for his oversaturated and heavily compressed drum and bass, he has released several major hit songs, including “The Less I Know The Better” and “Feels Like We Only Go Backwards”.
Over the years, his popularity has grown due to the strength of his songwriting and his stage presence. With platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, and other forms of social media, his music has continued to seep into popularity among younger fans.
Parker has a rare neural condition called Synesthesia that allows him to see colors after hearing music, which allows for an unmatched psychedelic feel to his tunes. After being in the music industry for almost two decades, Parker remains a prominent artist in the force of pop music.
After the tour for the release of Parker’s 2022 album “The Slow Rush,” he paused his music career and went on a hiatus. Since then, people have been waiting for the return of Tame Impala. In 2024, Parker released a DJ song with the group “Justice.” Fans anticipated his return.
This summer, after completing his DJ tours, he finally gave us a taste of his new music. In June of 2025, Parker teased his new song “End Of Summer” through DJ sets. After hearing of his new song through snippets released on Instagram, fans became eager for his return.
On July 25th, 2025, Parker was happy to announce and release his new single. On September 3rd, fans were greeted with another single, “Loser,” which was released alongside its music video starring musician DJO as well as Kevin Parker. The final single, “Dracula,” was released on September 26th after its release was teased on social media yet again as fans eagerly waited for its imminent release. On October 17, many different record stores hosted release days as the album was finally released. After listening to the album through it’s entirity twice, I have picked 3 songs that stood out to me: Loser, Dracula and Obsolete.
Loser:
Opening with a catchy octave guitar riff, Parker quickly layers synthesizers and more guitars, and vocal harmonies and sound to give an enormous voice to the main melody. This song particularly interested me with the vocal compression and crunch as he sings his lines. It also piqued my interest with the main message behind the song being how one may make a mistake and, in their efforts to fix it, they ultimately worsen the situation. While this song is electrifying, I think there are a few things that can be improved on. The outro consists of some extra light chords being added on, but it seems to be missing some classic
Tame Impala flair.
Despite that, this song remains about a 9/10 for amazing production, song structure, vocals, and harmonies
Dracula:
The song starts off with minor harmonies sung by Parker and quickly shifts into a spooky thriller-like drum beat with whistling keyboards and heavy drum and bass. One of my favorite features is the adlibs, which are sung with a low bass vocal effect with reverb that adds depth to the song. After switching to a verse, Parker sings lyrics about a night under the moonlight and the creepy feeling that you feel as you walk alone. The chorus is really catchy and relates the title “Dracula” to himself, who likes to party at night and stay inside during the day. 10/10 song. I couldn’t stop replaying it. It sounds like a modern version of the song “Thriller” by Michael Jackson, and I am all here for it. The vocal production is on point, the lyrics are catchy, the melody and undertones of melody are incredible, the harmony is amazing, and all of that is packed into one 3-minute song.
Obsolete:
Obsolete opens with octave guitars similar to loser but the sound quickly fades away as bell tones similar to dracula enter the soundscape. Parker sings his words and melody over this backing track with my favorite quote from the song being “Talkings cheap, but the words cut deep, promises get old, they get hard to keep” this sung by Parker has stuck in my mind ever since hearing the song because it’s so catchy. At around 3:15 in the song, Parker uses a technique used across his discography where he voices multiple instruments octaves apart but he has them play the same line which creates a large sound. Overall This song is a 10/10 and I have played it around 25 times since hearing it because it is just catchy, lyrically well written, and performed incredibly.
Tracklist:
Track 1: My Old Ways
Track 2: No Reply
Track 3: Dracula
Track 4: Loser
Track 5: Oblivian
Track 6: Not My World
Track 7: Piece Of Heaven
Track 8: Obsolete
Track 9: Ethereal Connection
Track 10: See You On Monday (You’re Lost)
Track 11: Afterthought
Track 12: End of Summer
The album is about a 9/10 and speaks to classic Tame Impala while showing his new interest in dubstep-style music, as well as his new DJ style sound. Some music is made to be the background as you do something else, Parker’s new album is made to captivate you and take all of your attention. Parker sticks to his roots and brings his magic touch to this 2025 classic. This album is perfect for blasting on a large stereo or blaring inside your headphones. Parker’s new album is packed with versatility, and everyone should give this new album a listen
