The Daily Spin, May 19
Tame Impala | The Slow Rush
Welcome back to the Daily Spin, the series in which I review 365 albums during 2023.
Each album will be given a rating on a scale from 0 to 10. You can look at the entire set here. Additionally, you can check out a list of my favorite song from each album right here.
If you want to suggest an album, good news! You can do so right here!
This is our second review of Tame Impala. You can find the first here https://thelowmajor.substack.com/p/the-daily-spin-march-31
Album: The Slow Rush (2020)
Artist: Tame Impala
Link:
For someone like Kevin Parker, following anything he’s put out is a challenge. There’s always that drive to achieve more, grow further, push the boundaries of the already innovative sound he’s made entirely his own under the Tame Impala moniker to stay at the forefront of electropop.
Following Currents, though, is an entirely different monster. Beyond our own enjoyment of the album here at the Daily Spin, found in our review linked above (it remains, to date, the only album to receive a perfect 30 score from the three of us), this is an album that was universally lauded. It catapulted Tame Impala from the fringes to the center of the mainstream scene, and with it, decimated his ability to remain anonymous on the sidelines.
Given, too, that this was his first release in five years, said emphasis was only stronger. People were clamoring for more music, myself included, and Parker certainly delivered. The Slow Rush takes Currents and elevates the psychedelic elements. It’s a bit of a misstep in that you lose a lot of the most powerful highs that came with the raging synths and towering instrumentals of Currents, but it’s also clear that he’s trying to move into a new chapter, and it’s undeniable that he’s done that beautifully well.
Songs like ‘Borderline’ establish that he’s still got it when it comes to danceability, powering keyboards and thumping beats bobbing and weaving their way through four minutes of astoundingly well-arranged dance. Though most of the rest of the record falls away from that punchiness, it works to similar effect - trading the keyboard for guitar and letting the synths do all the talking.
The Slow Rush is a reminder to breathe, presented through the slick harmonies of a man who faced that reminder head-on during his hiatus from releasing new music. Should we all be so lucky and so talented to come back from a five-year break this strongly.
Rating: 9.3/10
Best Tracks: Borderline; Lost In Yesterday; Tomorrow’s Dust
Worst Tracks: On Track