Kevin Parker says he aimed to break his own taboos with upcoming Tame Impala album Currents.
And he hopes it’s moving him in a direction that will help him make the music he really wants to make.
He’s received some strong reaction after streaming the tracks Cause I’m A Man and Let It Happen in recent weeks, because they don’t fully conform to what fans have expected.
Parker tells the NME: “I think I wanted to make songs that I’d always wanted to do, but I’d always shut out, because I thought those influences were not fitting the realm of psych rock.
“But the more I explore, the more I realise that those boundaries are meant to be broken.”
He believes the foundations were laid with Tame Impala’s 2012 release. “I’ve always loved groove-based music and there was a lot on Lonerism,” he says.
“I never found out how to make really crunchy dream pop, and at the same time making really hard-hitting groove music with a strong beat. But I think I’m getting closer.”
He adds: “Every album I make, I feel like I get closer to making the ultimate kind of music I would want to listen to.”
Currents is released on July 17 via Fiction.
Tame Impala tour dates
Jul 24: Splendour In The Grass, Australia
Aug 01: Chicago Grant Park, IL
Aug 06: Los Angeles Hollywood Forever Cemetery, CA
Aug 07: Los Angeles Hollywood Forever Cemetery, CA
Aug 08: San Francisco Golden Gate Park Outside Lands, CA
Aug 20: Viana Do Castelo Paredes de Coura, Portugal
Aug 21: Lowlands Festival, Netherlands
Aug 22: Pukkelpop, Belgium
Aug 25: Sestri Levante Mojotic, Italy
Aug 26: Rock In Roma, Italy
Aug 28: Verona Teatro Romano, Italy
Aug 29: Zurich Openair Festival, Switzerland
Aug 30: Rock En Seine, France
Sep 05: End Of The Road Festival, UK
Sep 06: Electric Picnic, Ireland
Sep 08: Glasgow Barrowland, UK
Sep 09: Liverpool Olympia, UK
Sep 11: Bestival, UK
Sep 12: Lollapalooza Berlin, Germany
Oct 09: Austin City Limits, TX
