OUR FAVORITE THINGS: Tame Impala's "Currents"

[Welcome to Our Favorite Things, a series featuring—you guessed it!—our favorite things. From books to brands to tunes to film, these are all things we at Windrose want to shout from the rooftops about.]

I’m a simple person with a simple checklist for what makes a great album: a commitment to theme, a track-by-track flow so seamless it’s like one continuous, sonic masterpiece, and lyrical content so #relatable I would consider inking it across my own face if I got sad drunk enough.

Three big checks for Currents, the latest release by Australian psychedelic rock group, Tame Impala.

Change is evident throughout this aptly-named record. It’s a breakup record that is unapologetic in it’s handling of growing up and moving on—something that is nearly impossible to do without hurting or disappointing someone. Frontman and brains behind Tame Impala, Kevin Parker, takes ownership of who he is becoming, and at times, even comes across as harsh. It’s the authenticity to self despite doubting external forces that puts you on his side.

(Insert every line from “Yes I’m Changing” here because I can’t pick just one.)

An obvious shift in sound accompanies this theme of change. Parker hasn’t exactly abandoned his famously fuzzy guitar nuances, but he has embraced pop in a way that clearly separates Currents from previous Tame Impala releases. The Daft Punk-influenced opening track “Let It Happen” doesn’t invite, but forces, you to do exactly just that.

Even Aussie rockers need to dance it out. Just let it happen.

Highlights: “Yes I’m Changing,” “Eventually,” “Let It Happen,” “Nangs,” “New Person, Same Old Mistakes” 

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