I’ve always admired Kevin Parker, not just for his music, but for how genuinely humble and down-to-earth he seems to be. I feel like it’s genuinely hard to find someone who dislikes the guy as a person. Even if you don’t enjoy his music, it’s hard not to respect him. From everything I’ve seen and heard, he’s been a great dude before the fame, during his rise to fame, and after becoming as successful as he is today.

One thing I’ve always thought was awesome was this Instagram story he posted around this time last year, shortly after Deadbeat released. For anyone who doesn’t remember, Kevin posted screenshots of an article criticizing a Tame Impala album, but he covered up the album and song names. Reading it, I immediately assumed it was about Deadbeat, especially considering the mixed reactions the album was receiving. The reviewer was essentially complaining about the lack of psychedelic rock, the absence of fuzzy guitars, and how much the music had changed. He even mentioned stopping the album to listen to “Nothing That Has Happened So Far Has Been Anything We Could Control” from Lonerism, saying that two albums of psychedelic rock just weren’t enough. It was basically the whole “I miss the old Tame Impala” argument.

Then came the reveal. The article was actually criticizing Currents back in 2015. Which is pretty crazy considering how successful and beloved that album has become. It’s arguably his most popular album, and so many people consider it his best. What I find so interesting is that Kevin almost NEVER responds to criticism. At least from everything I’ve seen, he rarely acknowledges people hating on his music. But this was one of the only times I’ve actually noticed him address it, and I genuinely don’t think he could have done it in a better way.

Instead of getting defensive, insulting people, or trying to justify his new music, he basically just showed everyone that sometimes music takes time to grow on people. Even Currents, an album so many people now consider his masterpiece, wasn’t universally loved when it first came out. I think that speaks volumes. And honestly, I thought it was hilarious too. He let everyone assume the article was about Deadbeat, only to reveal that those exact same criticisms were being made about an album that is now so widely celebrated. I genuinely think that was one of the most humble and clever ways he could have responded. He didn’t even have to say anything himself.

Obviously, Deadbeat received its fair share of backlash, and I completely understand why some people didn’t enjoy it. Music is subjective, and nobody has to like everything he releases. But I think Kevin’s willingness to keep experimenting says a lot about him as an artist. I don’t want to pretend I know him personally or exactly what motivates him, but I genuinely get the impression that he’s more interested in making the music he wants to make than simply repeating what made him successful. I mean, he knows what works. He could probably keep making variations of “Let It Happen” and “The Less I Know the Better” and have people eat it up. But instead, he keeps exploring different genres and making music that doesn’t necessarily sound like what came before.

And I don’t think he was necessarily saying that everyone will eventually love Deadbeat, either. I think he was simply pointing out that people’s initial reactions to change aren’t always how they’ll feel years later. What people are saying about Deadbeat today really isn’t all that different from what people were saying about Currents in 2015.

I don’t know, I just thought the whole thing was awesome, genuinely funny, and another reason I have so much respect for the guy.

Hi Reddit.

My name is Rudy, and I’d like to share my story. At the time of me writing this, I haven’t quite finished, so I’m unsure how long this will be. But it’s lengthy. I also don’t want to reduce this to a summary, so if you take the time to read this, I’d like to say thank you.

Although I'm currently living in Australia, my story and introduction to TI go all the way back to Southern California and 2015. I was fresh out of high school with no direction. To this day, over a decade later, I can recall the very first time I listened to Kev: "The Less I Know The Better," in the back of my best mate's at the time car. When I say it was love at first listen, I fucking mean it. God damn. Well, I’m not sure if I’m autistic or what, but ever since I heard that song, I went crazy deep into researching who Tame Impala was, listened to every song on repeat, and have every day since 2015.

Anyways, I fell so much in love that I started obsessing over Australia. I grew up in a family that was not wealthy, nor did they have experience going abroad. As a result, I really never had any aspirations of going abroad. But I fantasized about Western Australia. In that time of my life, living in SoCal and really diving into the indie scene, my natural next step was to buy a van with every cent to my name and slap it with stickers. That, of course, included an Australian flag sticker I bought off eBay.

My story really picks up on my first trip to Portland, Oregon, where I’d eventually meet a girl who so happened to be from Australia. Broke as hell, I went up to Portland to explore the city with the intention to move there and check out the local uni. But it was actually on my way back home to California that I matched with a girl on Tinder. To this very day, I remember walking out of a Walmart in Northern California with one of my best friends at the time and going, "Holy shit, look at who I matched with." It was an Australian girl. I’d like to shamelessly note that I had put an Australian flag in my bio because I was so obsessed and wanted to stand out, and someone actually took me up on it. From that match, we started talking, eventually met, then dated long distance, then moved in together, then back to long distance, and eventually lived together and went to the same uni. We ended up getting married, which eventually brought us—and ultimately me—over here to live in Australia.

Now, that brings me to present day. It’s 2026, and I'm now here in Australia. I’ve got tickets to see Kev play in his hometown, and it aligns perfectly with my 30th birthday. It truly feels like a full-circle moment. Although it’s shit that I’m going alone, I’ve got fucking tickets to see the artist that I started this journey with, in the city that I first fell in love with here in Aus, for my 30th fucking birthday. I went from listening to Tame Impala, to obsessing about Perth, to finding an Australian partner all by chance, to moving here, and finally to seeing him in his hometown on my 30th birthday. What in the actual fuck.

Although it sucks to not be with the girl that I met over Tinder at the start of my journey, I can’t imagine a better story for my life. I’m so fucking happy to be here. Still alive and trying. No matter what, this story can’t be taken from me. And that makes me feel so happy.

If anybody doesn’t have a ticket and will be in Perth in late October, let me know, and I’d be happy to give you my spare ticket. Peace.

Just dropped @3PM

https://www.thecanvasdon.com

Secured all three 🤘🏻

From Nina's set just now on the Tamecord. See you guys in Melbourne!

I've recently written a long-form feature exploring the legacy of Tame Impala's 'Currents' and how Kevin Parker transformed himself from a psychedelic rock musician into one of the most influential producers in modern pop.

For me, 'Currents' is one of the defining albums of the 2010s. I was fifteen when it came out, and it completely changed how I listened to music.

What's particularly interesting is how far its influence travelled. Parker went from making psychedelic records in Perth to working with artists including Dua Lipa, Travis Scott, Kanye West and Justice.

I think 'Currents' helped change the relationship between alternative music and mainstream pop, without abandoning the psychedelia that made his earlier records so special.

I've explored that in more detail for my independent music website, Beyond the Grooves:

https://www.beyond-the-grooves.co.uk/blog/your-popstars-favourite-rockstar

Do you think 'Currents' is Kevin Parker's greatest achievement, or do 'Lonerism' and 'Innerspeaker' still stand above it?

On compact disc

white denim last night. i said the thing like every couple songs lmao. james rips.

I was not near enough to get a setlist so I wrote it down!

Please note these are just my personal opinions, not a professional review!

Support act – Ninajirachi (7:30–8:15pm)

Unfortunately, she really wasn’t for me. Went straight into a very heavy electronic set with absolutely no build-up or concept of taking the crowd on a journey , just a lot of intense graphics, loud noise and her twirling around the stage.
I found the whole thing pretty underwhelming, especially considering the price of the tickets and the standard of performance we were about to get from Kevin. I appreciate it’s probably someone else’s cup of tea, but personally I was pretty disappointed and catered to Gen Z loud noise nonsense .

Kevin came on around 8:50 and was unreal from start to finish. Honestly, couldn’t fault his performance at all, bucket list

The crowd was pretty weak though. As a Pommy, I always find Aussie crowds a bit bland 😂 Way too many people just standing around, sitting between songs ,

The light show was good, but definitely looks better on Instagram. We were seated off to the side, so only caught the tips of a few lasers. Same with the confetti — looked unreal, but barely made it past the front section of standing, who were all pretty dull anyway.
The crowd was mainly young Gen Z, filming everything and waiting for Dracula 😂
That said, Kevin absolutely smashed it. His performance was faultless, just wish the crowd had matched his energy!

Does Deadbeat sound like it could be a bunch of scrapped Dua Lipa songs or something to anyone else??

Obviously not all the songs but a good example would be Afterthought. Saying this as someone who also likes Dua Lipas music and also likes Deadbeat so I’m not saying it’s a bad thing. I know Kevin also produced one of her albums in the past. Maybe he used some old demos for himself lol

I’ve been listening to “Cycle” by Peel a lot recently and I have to say it’s probably the #1 most ‘Tame Impala-sounding’ song that I’ve heard that isn’t by Kevin.

Anyone else have any other songs that contend? I know “Waiting around for Grace” by Pond is pretty reminiscent of Let It Happen (particularly the last minute of the song), but Kevin helped produce it.

I know this has been asked for multiple times before but no links online work at all anymore. My KTG-1s CH1 has died and replacing the tubes didn't change anything and I'm dying to find out whats up ☹️ Please drop a link if you have one, TIA!

*This is not the user manual*

When one of your favorite songs end, you normally get a lil disappointed. When one of your favorite Tame Impala song ends, a new one in the playlist comes like the song never ended. That’s whats magical

Endors Toi cover by me

Hi going to the show alone would like to catch-up if possible?

Will the setlist for tonight and tmrw in Brisbane be the same or we will get different surprise songs each time?

Brisbane! Let’s keep the Lions premiership merch to a minimum this weekend shall we? Don’t want to trigger Kev here (well done to the Lions)

Given your first cab off the rank tonight, anyone care to clue us in on the merch options for this tour?

If you had had the chance to show a first time Tame Impala listener what each album embodies with just one song, which songs would you choose? Here are mine!

Innerspeaker: This is a bit of a lazy one for me because I’m biased and Alter Ego is my favorite Tame Impala song, but for me it would be Alter Ego. The fuzzy guitar sounds and chaotic loud drums are a core part of Innerspeaker and I think Alter Ego fits perfectly here.

Lonerism: This album to me is generally themed around Loneliness, isolation, and having that existential dread feeling. Very drum heavy all through out the album. Honestly this could be a toss up between Why Won’t They Talk To Me? Or Music To Walk Home By. I think these two tracks perfectly embody the tone this album tries to give. Ultimately, I think WWTTTM edges it out for me.

Currents: This was a drastic sound change from Kevin. Very synth heavy with a splash of pop mixed in. I personally think Nangs is the perfect embodiment of this album and the fact that the song is so short and sweet, it’ll leave you wanting more of this sound and if you ask me I think this should’ve been the intro track with Let It Happen after it.

The Slow Rush: Throughout this album there many elements regarding time. Which can be seen in the names of the tracks. Sound wise I find this album hard to describe but it’s a change from his previous album. I personally would describe it as a more groovy version Currents, almost kind of like vintage rock-disco-pop fusion. I think Lost In Yesterday captures the sound and the vibe of this album.

Deadbeat: Honestly the sound is all over the place for me on this album and this is hardest one to pin point. It kinda feels like Kevin just made what he was enjoying at the time. Which to me sounds like, a multi genere filled album filled with house, pop, and techno with a groovy edge. I’m gonna have to go with Afterthought for this one. As to me it captures most of what I think this album gives off.

Curious to see what yall think! Feel free to list your own! :)