Tame Impala’s Currents

Tame Impala’s psychedelic third album Currents (2015) is emblematic of a cultural shift in music production and consumption in the early days of streaming and a project that cemented its creator, Kevin Parker, as one of Australian music’s most unlikely success stories and influential exports.

Currents marked a conscious shift in sound and attitude for its creator, West Australian polymath Kevin Parker, resisting his role as psych rock saviour to embrace soul, disco, funk and his latent pop instincts. The result was Tame Impala’s most popular and influential album, transforming them into festival-headlining, internet-famous Gen Z idols and turning the ear of popular acts, from Rihanna and Lady Gaga to Travis Scott and Dua Lipa.

Parker’s increasingly substantial credits as a collaborative producer and songwriter, with the likes of these artists as well as The Weeknd, Mark Ronson, Justice, Gorillaz and many more, served to enshrine him as a modern architect of pop music. Not bad for a shy, shaggy teen who used to lurk in basement Perth venues and play gigs with a towel on his head.

This book dives deep into Currents, examining its context, creation, content and lasting impact on the history of Australian popular music. The album’s theme of metamorphosis and genre-blurring sound embodied (and possibly encouraged) a wider shift in the 2010s of popular music trends, consumption and listening habits.