Tame Impala

Tame Impala is the psychedelic music project of Kevin Parker, an Australian singer, multi-instrumentalist, writer, producer and recording artist born in Sydney in 1986. The project is based around Parker as a solo studio act: he writes, records, performs and produces the music himself in the studio. For live performances, Tame Impala operates as a band, with Parker joined by Dominic Simper, Jay Watson, Cam Avery, Julien Barbagallo and James Ireland. The project’s sound is associated with psychedelic rock, alternative rock and related electronic and indie styles, and it also sits within alternative dance, dream pop and indietronica.

Formation and early releases

Parker conceives Tame Impala in Perth in 2007 as a home-recording project. He uploads early tracks to Myspace, which leads to record label interest. He signs a worldwide deal with Modular Recordings in July 2008, and the project then begins playing live with Simper and Watson. Parker chooses the name Tame Impala to reflect a contrast between untamed creativity and a more refined approach.

The self-titled EP follows in September 2008. It reaches number one on the Australian Independent Record Labels chart and number ten on the ARIA Physical Singles Chart. The songs “Desire Be, Desire Go”, “Half Full Glass of Wine” and “Skeleton Tiger” receive national radio play on Triple J. In the same period, Tame Impala tours as support for You Am I, The Black Keys, Yeasayer and MGMT, and appears at Southbound Festival, Meredith Music Festival and Falls Festival.

In 2009 the project completes a national “Skeleton Tiger” headline tour, a UK tour and festival appearances including V Festival. “Half Full Glass of Wine” appears on Triple J’s Hottest 100 for 2008, and “Remember Me”, the B-side to debut single “Sundown Syndrome”, appears in the 2009 Hottest 100. “Sundown Syndrome” is recorded at Toerag Studios in London with Liam Watson, premiered on Triple J in May 2009 and released in July 2009. It also appears on the soundtrack to The Kids Are All Right, while “Half Full Glass of Wine” is used in Entourage.

Albums

Tame Impala’s debut album, Innerspeaker, is released in 2010 after sessions that include work at the Wave House in Western Australia. It receives positive critical reviews, is certified gold in Australia and is selected by Pitchfork as “Best New Music”. The album earns four ARIA Award nominations, including Album of the Year and Best Rock Album, and wins the J Award for Australian Album of the Year in November 2010. The band tours widely in support of the record, including dates with MGMT and festival appearances such as Splendour in the Grass and Reading Festival.

Lonerism follows in 2012. Dave Fridmann mixes the album, and Parker writes and records most of it himself, mainly at home in Perth with additional recording in France. Compared with Innerspeaker, the album uses a wider sonic palette and more personal, narrative songwriting. It receives widespread critical recognition, is named Album of the Year by several publications and polls including Rolling Stone and NME, and wins the 2012 J Award for Australian Album of the Year. It is certified platinum in Australia and receives a Grammy nomination for Best Alternative Music Album. “Elephant” and “Feels Like We Only Go Backwards” reach numbers seven and nine in Triple J’s Hottest 100 for 2012. During this period, Watson moves from drums to keyboards and Julien Barbagallo joins as drummer. Parker also produces and performs on Melody’s Echo Chamber’s self-titled album.

Currents is released in 2015 and moves further towards electronic and pop-influenced production. The album is recorded at the Wave House in Western Australia and becomes the project’s best-selling album, with sales of more than one million copies worldwide. Its singles include “Let It Happen”, “’Cause I’m a Man”, “Disciples” and “Eventually”. The album wins ARIA Awards for Album of the Year and Best Rock Album, and Parker receives the APRA Song of the Year award in 2016 for “Let It Happen”. A collector’s edition appears in 2017 with additional tracks and remixes.

The Slow Rush is released in 2020 and contains twelve tracks recorded in Los Angeles and Fremantle, Australia. The album receives positive reviews and wins five awards at the 2020 ARIA Music Awards: Album of the Year, Best Rock Album, Best Group, Engineer of the Year and Producer of the Year. Around this period, “The Less I Know the Better” is voted number one in Triple J’s Hottest 100 of the Decade. Additional material linked to the album appears in 2021 and 2022, including The Slow Rush B-Sides and Remixes.

Deadbeat, the fifth Tame Impala album, is released in 2025. It draws on house music and the rave scene of Western Australia. The album includes “Dracula”, and a remix of the song featuring Jennie becomes the project’s first top-ten entry on the US Billboard Hot 100 and the Billboard Global 200.

Collaborations and related work

Tame Impala has a close connection with Australian psychedelic rock band Pond, sharing members and collaborators including Jay Watson, James Ireland and former member Nick Allbrook. Parker also works with a wide range of artists outside the project. He appears on Travis Scott’s “Skeletons” alongside Kanye West, Pharrell Williams, The Weeknd, Mike Dean and Reine Fiske. He collaborates with ZHU on “My Life” and records under the name Theo Impala with Theophilus London.

Further collaborations include “Turn Up the Sunshine” with Diana Ross for the Minions: The Rise of Gru soundtrack, “New Gold” with Gorillaz, “Wings of Time” for Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, “No More Lies” with Thundercat, and “Journey to the Real World” for the Barbie soundtrack. In 2024, Parker collaborates with Justice on “One Night/All Night” and “Neverender” from Hyperdrama. He also co-writes and produces Dua Lipa’s Radical Optimism and appears on stage with her at Glastonbury. Parker contributes to The Weeknd’s After Hours by producing and adding background vocals to “Repeat After Me (Interlude)”.

Labels and live activity

The project begins on Modular Recordings, then signs with Interscope Records in the United States and Fiction Records in the United Kingdom in 2015. It is also associated with Spinning Top Music. Tame Impala continues to perform at major festivals across its career, including Coachella, Mad Cool Festival, Citadel Festival and Glastonbury, and also appears on television programmes such as Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.