There has been a pandemic, multiple wars, and an entire presidency since the last Tame Impala album, “The Slow Rush.” Now, after five long years, Tame Impala has returned to the studio and released his latest album, titled “Deadbeat.” 

The album was released on Oct. 17, following a fairly dragged-out rollout. It began in July, with the release of the first single, “End Of Summer.” There was nothing much to note about how Tame Impala built up hype around Kevin Parker’s new project, since he went the usual route of releasing a string of three singles before the album itself. 

Before I get into my thoughts on the album, I would like to note that I think the five-year wait is excessive and unnecessary. Tame Impala has done this before, as the wait between “Currents” and “The Slow Rush” was also five years. 

Tame Impala’s sound has evolved over this period, moving to a more house and dance-inspired feel. It’s much less psychedelic than what us fans are used to, which has caused some mixed feelings surrounding the album. 

“My Old Ways” opens the project with looping piano chords accompanied by the lead. Tame Impala’s vocals soon enter the mix, before dropping in the drums in a quick beat drop. Though the production is good, this song is unfortunately boring. The loop is uninteresting, and it plays until the music transitions into the prechorus section, which is the only time when the beat itself changes.

The song feels very lackluster overall, and it is not a very good opener.

The third song on the album, which was the third single, is titled “Dracula.” It is a very stark contrast from the two songs preceding it, with eerie choir vocals leading into one of the more interesting drum loops of the project. It is definitely one of the stronger songs of the album due to its smooth, flowing verses. I personally enjoyed this track, but I did find the lyrics to be a bit basic. For example, there is a line, “Run from the sun like Dracula,” which reveals Tame Impala’s reclusive nature. It is very simple, and honestly would be fine had he not repeated it 13 times in the span of 44 seconds. However, Tame Impala has never been one to write deep and thought-provoking lyrics.

The next song, “Loser,” was another one of the singles for the album. It did not really stand out to me, besides its ambitious guitar hook. The lyrics hold little substance and truly show how little personal growth he has had throughout his career. Past songs like “New Person, Same Old Mistakes” from 2015’s “Currents” and “On Track” from 2020’s “The Show Rush. Both songs focus on feelings of self-doubt and generally being a loser. He has stayed in the same mindset of being an outsider or a loser for well over a decade, making little effort to change his circumstances. It just feels inauthentic, since he is a wildly successful artist with countless fans who would do anything to see him on tour. 

“End Of Summer” was the first single to be released, and it concludes the album with its placement as the twelfth song. It is a long one, at seven minutes and twelve seconds.

My biggest complaint is how it drags at certain points, and how there is little development sonically. However, it is very chill and almost therapeutic at the same time. A bit of a guilty pleasure due to the repetitiveness, maybe, but a good song overall.

Unfortunately, this is Tame Impala’s worst project, and it’s not even close. Previous albums were so much more diverse with their sounds, especially “Currents.” The beats on this project are about as dead and monochrome as the album cover, for the most part. The only saving grace is the stellar production quality that is to be expected of one of the biggest artists in the world. For me, the album felt very average, to the point where I can’t say much about it. 

I rate this album a 5/10.

Favorite tracks: “Dracula” and “End Of Summer”