Celica Cook, Student Writer
This week, we are taking a listen to Tame Impala’s latest single, “Borderline.” The band has been straying from their original psych-rock sound recently, and flirting with a less colorful, bouncier pop-sound in this soft-rock spin on big city life in Los Angeles.
Kevin Parker, the lead singer, guitarist and producer of the Aussi band seems to be changing with the times, and taking his music with it. As the psych-rock phase of music begins to transition into something less like a journey through outer space, and more like a Hollywood version of The 1975.
The lyrics speak about life in the racing streets of L.A., and Parker’s honest struggle to find himself in the Hollywood crowd. Like most Tame Impala songs, it is a conversational piece, where Parker asks questions that help guide his own thoughts through the process of answering these deep rooted questions: “Has it been long enough?/Will I be known and loved?”
The music itself feels held back, as if Parker is as unsure of his own sound as he is of the world around him. Whether purposeful or not, the impression he gives is one of uncertainty, and ambiguity.
Whether the band’s long time followers are ready for it or not, Tame Impala’s sound is changing. Maybe this song is Parker’s personal reflection of this budding change, as he navigates his way in the world through a musical lense.