Music

Tame Impala far from Googled '60s culture'

by Anne T. Donahue

Praised upon release and appearing on countless year-end lists, Tame Impala’s full-length debut Innerspearker, has been hailed as a resurgence of ’70s classic rock with a modern approach thanks to its unique and distinctive psychedelic sound. But while a pronounced listenership has aligned itself with the Australian four-piece, the band have shied away from contrasts and comparisons, and while occasionally flattered at the parallels drawn between themselves and the industry legends, the group remain surprised at the varying interpretations that seem to relay a lack of understanding.

“Initially, [comparisons are] disappointing and whatever, but at the end of the day, it’s human instinct to put things into categories and order them,” shares vocalist and guitarist Kevin Parker. “I’ve just learned to accept it because I don’t even know what music we are.”

“I’ve realized that music is one of the most ambiguous things,” he continues. “One of the most subjective, and it’s less black and white than I ever thought it was. So I don’t mind. [But] when people say we sound like something and I suspect that they say it because they’ve been tipped off by someone, and it’s just so obvious that it’s not true, that kind of pisses me off. That kind of lazy journalism.”

Having played a sold-out show at the Horseshoe just last month, the band have seemingly found their niche in the North American market, but while other Australian acts have reached monumental heights or gone overlooked as a result of their sound and location, Parker maintains it’s his homeland that misinterprets them the most.

“The place that understands us the least well is Australia, to be honest,” he reveals. “Because they just see us as a rock band.  They don’t really seem to understand the purpose of the music as a melodic, rhythmic thing.”

“[But] in terms of getting our music out to the rest of the world, I haven’t worked in any way to do that,” he continues. “It’s been the people that have picked up our music and distributed it. I don’t know – people do frequently seem to make Venn diagrams of bands of the world that are coming through, but to me it’s just a coincidence because for me as a listener, it’s about the band. It’s not really about the fact that they’re from [elsewhere].”

While an international presence has undoubtedly garnered Tame Impala a bankable fanbase, the theme of misinterpretation has only continued as their presence expands, exemplified especially as their requests for video pitches are often met by stereotypical ‘peace and love’-inspired visuals.

“When people send video clip ideas to us, it’s as though they weren’t really that inspired to do it,” Parker explains. “They just heard that we needed a film clip, listened to our music and Googled ‘60s culture’. So the film clip ideas [that we’ve received] have been like, this vomit of flowers and people frolicking naked in the desert. So it’s really refreshing every now and then when someone comes to us with a really clear concept that’s crazy, but simple.”

“Clear and simple” is what best describes the band’s video for “Lucidity”, the four-minute piece shot entirely via weather balloon that pays tributes to the group’s free spirited nature (without any over-the-top representations), and succeeds in capitalizing on the return of DIY culture.

“There are no rules anymore,” Parker concludes. “People just do what they want . . . If something’s cool, people will watch it – whether it’s professional or not. That, for me, in the whole world of DIY, that’s the whole vibe I get.”