Tame Impala - Currents
Dance – Released July 17, 2015 – 13 songs, 51 mins
ROZ
New year, same old TSR. I’d be lying if I tried to ignore the amount of rust I’d have to shake off to get this music reviewing engine back to full speed, but luckily for me, the boys and I have found a tantalizing cheat code to make the start-up as smooth as butter. What better way to start the year than to turn back the clock and review one of the best albums of the modern era? This week is finally the week where the three of us get the opportunity to gush about an album that I know all three of us hold near and dear. This week, Too Sweet Reviews looks at Tame Impala’s 2015 album Currents.
Currents is the definition of a true ‘no-skip’ album, in every sense of the word. In fact, the only ‘skipping’ going on is the skipping effect placed in opening track Let It Happen, a clever effect that had me delightfully tricked on my first ever listen of the record many years ago. It takes real skill to interweave happy little accidents, nuanced effect ideas or flow-state recordings into packed arrangements, but to an artist like Kevin Parker this is easy work – and this is just the start.
The production across Currents is impossibly tight and meticulously crafted; all by a man who is clearly obsessed with perfecting his art. Each dance-infused drum break, each synthesized chord progression, each psychedelic guitar riff – every single minor and major detail is handled with a level of technicality that feels almost impossible, if not for the fact that it was playing through your ears in real time. The fully realized nature of Currents is the result of one mans self-isolation as, much like his previous efforts, Parker not only wrote but also recorded, produced, and mixed the album all by himself, on a relatively modest setup and in his own personal home studio. Zero distractions and zero external pressures – truly an impressive feat.
At its core, the Tame Impala project has always been undergoing a constant and (not so) subtle evolution with it’s sound, from Innerspeaker to the present day. This constant re-imagining and reforming is merely a byproduct of Kevin Parker's genius – a reflection of an individual with an everlasting appetite for creating art, a person who allows anything and everything interesting into the studio regardless of what may have come before it. Every effort begins on a clean slate, and every guitar strum or key stroke feels loaded down with the insurmountable weight of Parkers inner dialogue and outwardly emotions.
In saying this, it would be downright disingenuous of me not to mention Parker's newest record Deadbeat and my general disappointment that followed. While these feelings of letdown engulfed me, slowly but surely the reality set in that Tame Impala will continue this steady stream of change whether I like it or not, and ultimately, we as fans and critics are merely along for the ride until the day this project comes to a close. His mark left on the music industry is permanent and it is powerful and I am eternally grateful for it, despite these musings.
At the end of the day, I can’t help but reminisce on the special experiences I had with my TSR brothers as we experienced Tame Impala firsthand at the 2019 Osheaga Music & Arts Festival in Montreal, Quebec. As dancing lasers coupled with psychedelic visuals, we gazed at the stage in awe as the band worked tirelessly to showcase the spoils of Parkers creative labours. It was an audio-visual experience I will never forget for as long as I live, and the Currents tracklist was a huge part of it. Whether it’s the delicate synths across Let It Happen, the soul-tearing lyricism of Eventually, or the infectious hooks on The Less I Know, the Better – the release of Currents didn’t just cement Kevin Parkers legacy as a musical genius; it also transformed the entire music landscape as we know it.
Overall Rating: 10/10
Favourite Song: The Less I Know The Better
LUNDI
Shut up and play the hits! As a constant sucker for new music, I’ll never quite understand those that relish in repeating the same tried and true tunes over and over, but even amongst my search for the next big artist there will always be time and space for those unforgettable albums that moulded today’s music scene. I’m not talking about albums that simply arrived polished, confident, and complete. I mean albums that flipped the script, changed the game, and gained everyone’s attention. My personal favourite example came just over a decade ago when Kevin Parker’s third Tame Impala record broke down the barriers between rock, pop, and electronic music forever. Of course, that is none other than the monumental modern masterpiece Currents.
At its core, Currents is an album about loss, regret, and growth – feelings that Parker never dares to dramatize from his internal monologue, instead banking on developing emotional connection with the listeners understanding of heartbreak and change. Through keen lyricism and songs that stretch and loop in previously unseen ways, Currents delves into the unsettling shift of realizing who you are and who you surround yourself with no longer aligns with the path you have in front of you. There are no cathartic realizations to be felt but lingering uncertainty amongst hypnotic grooves and rippling synths. Danceable yet jarring and personal.
With classics it’s hard not to just repeat what’s already been said and while the musical skillset display is immaculate beyond words it’s Parker’s aim to resonate with the masses by keeping his own pain solitary that is a leading reason why the album has endured. The album is free but calculated. It scratches an itch we never knew we had. The listening experience is exhilarating and devastating all at once. It can take you to a specific time and place, allow you to drift into a feeling that came so long ago or perhaps feel gratification that you’re now in a better place. Currents wraps you in emotional and never lets go, even 10 years later.
Parker’s intimacy paired with immaculate production isn’t just a spectacle in the zoomed in album view, it’s career defining and has proven to be a musical blueprint for many artists over the last decade. The lines between genres no longer just get blurred, they’re thrown entirely into the blender giving way for every artist to explore an empty canvas with experimentation. Even art on the opposite end of the spectrum from Currents owes thanks to Parker for opening the minds of record companies, critics and average day listeners alike to what can be with some musical freedom. Simply put, an album that will last forever.
Currents never demands your attention, it pulls you in slowly and patiently, until you’ve been changed by it forever. Few albums can claim that kind of quiet power. Transformative and influential as music can be. A perfect ten. One of the defining records of the modern era.
Overall Rating: 10/10
Favourite Song: The Less I Know The Better
REID
After a nice holiday break and our typical January hiatus, Too Sweet Reviews is officially back for 2026! While the world sifts through the Epstein files and social hierarchy and human decency are in question, what better way to temporarily drown out the chaos than with a throwback review.
We often discuss time as a factor of album strength and with it comes two major components; memories and nostalgia. Music can have varying degrees of impact on you personally but also between the company you keep. Before TSR, Currents (2015) was probably our friendship’s collective favourite album. This was only amplified when we saw him live together at Osheaga in 2019. It was incredible. We still talk about it to this day. You could say it was our magnum opus. Ten years later, it looks like the same may ring true for Kevin Parker.
The running joke between fans is ‘Tame Impala is just one guy?’. Most quips come with a hint of truth or at least an avenue to get there. In this case it’s a well-earned compliment. Watching videos of Kevin Parker create music is astonishing. He is a singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He is a perfectionist and a master of his craft. A decade and countless listens later and I’m still uncovering some of the details he embedded deep in his work to optimize its sound. He poured his life into this record and has reaped the benefits since. Maybe the most impressive part is his climb.
Parker’s first two albums, InnerSpeaker (2010) and Lonerism (2012), did more than get his foot in the door. His signature psychedelic style was met was widespread critical acclaim, especially his sophomore effort. He had songs on commercials and in TV shows and his stock was on the rise. But like all the greats, he didn’t rest on his laurels. He made a monumental shift to the synthesizer as his primary weapon of choice over the standard rock instruments of his predecessors. The opening moments of the first track, Let It Happen, sound like you’ve been exposed to a sonic portal and take a step into his new world. From there you’re treated to a truly mesmerizing listening experience that doesn’t waste a second of its fifty-minute runtime.
An album this good is meant to be listened to in its entirety but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have standout tracks. I’ve cycled through favourite songs over the years beginning with the lead single, The Less I Know the Better. Arguably the best he’s ever made and on the shortlist of greatest indie songs of all time. Let It Happen is an eight-minute layered synth journey with rewarding peaks and valleys. Placed cleverly as the opening track, standing proudly behind his sonic evolution. The Moment is so damn catchy and such a shrewd take on sex, impossible not to bop along. New Person, Same Old Mistakes capitalizes on his brilliant use of contrast between bass and his dreamy, high-tenor voice. Eventually has held firm as my favourite since the 2019 Osheaga set. Initially an afterthought on such a stacked album, the live version absolutely blew us away. The organ-esque synth and bombastic percussion paired with his soothing vocal was an out of body experience. It doesn’t hurt that it’s such an ingenious take on a break-up.
Therein lies another critical layer of this record, its message. Kevin Parker was in his late twenties when he was creating Currents and he had established himself as a star. He was in the prime of his career and had an endless supply of money, women, drugs and essentially whatever he wanted at his disposal. While much of the listen feels like a party, most of its actual meaning is self-reflection. It’s a great reminder that beneath the success and party lifestyle is a normal human with emotions and a big heart. Breakups (Eventually), dwelling on past relationships (Past Life), admitting weakness (Cause I’m a Man) and inner turmoil (New Person, Same Old Mistakes) are great examples of the strength of his writing.
Kevin Parker was a superstar of the 2010’s and Currents was the peak of his artistry. Emotional depth and introspection under the guise of a party album with unforgettable solo musicianship. This is a must have for any collection.
Overall Rating: 9.6/10
Favourite Song: Eventually