Review: The Slow Rush - Tame Impala
By Eleni Haberis
I knew I was getting fucked on Valentine’s Day when it was announced Kevin Parker was releasing Tame Impala's fourth studio album The Slow Rush. But I didn't think it would be like this…
The Slow Rush doesn’t come across as noteworthy upon first listen. The singles from the album - such as “Lost In Yesterday” and “Borderline” - were not particularly impressive. The album follows in the spirit of Currents, but I thought the album was overdone, or just straight boring. But I was wrong. The Slow Rush is thorough, mature, fun, and as always, a fucking journey. Because of its simplicity, I thought that Kevin had finally started to run out of ideas.
Wrong again! The ease of this album, and the inescapable groove Kevin constructs, is one of its greatest strengths. The record starts with the spaced out, humming groove of “One More Year,” immediately throwing you back into the Impala-verse. It perfectly sets the mood for the album, and tells you to just strap in and listen. It’s appropriately undemanding, so just sit back and feel what you need to. While initially disappointed in the lack of push I felt this album had, it’s important to remember that this is the SLOW rush. Maybe it’s okay for Kevin to be meditative.
The peak moment of this album, “Posthumous Forgiveness,” perhaps encompasses the album in its entirety. It’s complex while approachable in a pensive but cathartic way. During the dreamy lil’ bridge towards the track’s end, Kevin sings “Wanna tell you 'bout my life/Wanna play you all my songs/ Hear your voice sing along.” After you lose somebody, it’s always the hardest to process those little moments you wish you could share with them. These lyrics present a simple but powerful way to say “I miss you” - visualizing the vulnerability we all feel during and after a loss. The only way this song could be better would be if it were sequenced in the center of the album, to allow for a build up and cool down from it. But I digress.
Some of the joy of the album comes from the fact that it’s just simple fun, too. It doesn’t necessarily force you to sit and contemplate it’s musings on loss, because you will find yourself movin’ and groovin’ to that damn bass. Songs like “Is It True” and “Glimmer” make you feel like you’re at a roller disco and Donna Summer is coming over to ask you to star in a commercial. Although sometimes the vibe does go a little too far at the expense of the songwriting, like on “It Might Be Time”. This song is fine, but doesn’t have the modern Tame flare to pull it out of its disco roots and make it something other than dated.
The Slow Rush took years to complete, so how could I judge it so harshly after one listen? Perhaps I had insurmountable expectations, because I wanted some crazy psych-rock blast back to 1980, when all I really needed was to chill. I thought that it was good, it just took me recognizing Kevin at his level - and a little relaxing - to realize it is just short of great.
