Tame Impala | The Slow Rush | Album Review

Modular Recordings

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Cutting it close to a year since the single releases of “Patience” and “Borderline,” Australian musical prodigy Tame Impala released their fourth studio album, The Slow Rush, in the middle of February. With a title such as the one mentioned above, listeners will be introduced to a soothingly long plethora of 12 tracks with the average running playtime being around five minutes each.

Each track sounds uniquely different but lacks consistency in keeping a balance between vocal and instrumental noise. “Lost In Yesterday” features a groovy, psychedelic pop rhythm that overshadows the soft, high toned vocals of Kevin Parker; not to mention that the beat is very repetitive and seems to have no climax for listeners to enjoy. On the contrary to that, “Tomorrow’s Dust” features a lighthearted combination of hazy acoustic guitar amongst hippie-folk beats and tempo that flow fluently with his Bee Gees-like vocals.

“Instant Destiny” is a space-like, out-of-this-world symphony that consists of steady percussion and high pitched keys that wash out Parker’s voice, specifically when the chorus is reached. Yet, “Posthumous Forgiveness” takes a different direction, creating a dazzling experience with heavy synth, slow guitar strum, drum, laser, and a not-so-overly done auto-tuned vocal that fits the melancholy melody decently at best. “Breathe Deeper” has more of a hip-hop beat to it, but still has its flashes of psychedelic energy with a mixture of different lo-fi beats.

Overall The Slow Rush is diverse in beat selection and melodies. The only issue is the fact that each song is overly long that enjoying the music gets lost and boring. Tame Impala made great use of their work and showcases the talent that they have. However, cutting each song to around to just three minutes would have been a safer bet for listeners.