Deadbeat 12 Inch LP by Kevin Parker (Tame Impala). Oct. 27, 2025. Photo Credit: Tye Brown.
Tame Impala’s introductory dip into electronic dance music and Australia’s lively rave scene resulted in his most underdeveloped album to date.
Tame Impala, or Kevin Parker, spent five years teasing an upcoming project constantly through interviews and his social media pages. The project, “Deadbeat,” came on the heels of his recent TikTok success. The experimental album abandoned his signature psychedelic style of rock in favor of reaching an expanded audience.
The track begins on a light note with “My Old Ways,” showing EDM influences early on.
While transforming his sound significantly, he still maintained the use of his home studio throughout the creation of this project. A lo-fi creative process has been integral to his musical conception since his sophomore breakout tape, Lonerism.
This album could mark a turning point for Tame Impala’s future music output.
“No Reply” features shockingly underwhelming production that is uncommon among Parker’s prior works. The song’s amateur finish is solidified with the line “You’re a cinephile, I watch Family Guy.”
Parker definitively hits his creative apex in the song “Dracula.” It is as creative and ear-catching as the highlights on previous albums, such as “Currents” and “Lonerism.” The song’s excellent percussion and synth melodies add an overabundance of texture that is missing throughout much of the remaining album, however.
Being one of the project’s lead singles, “Loser,” was an overachieving highlight on the album. Twinkling bells played with mellow guitar chords, creating fantastic chemistry on the track. On the other hand, “Not My World” replaced mellow chords with influences from electronic ambient artists, such as Aphex Twin. The song brought a chilling atmosphere to the album that, unfortunately, is overshadowed by contemporary artists who attempt the same cold tone.
“See You on Monday” is likely the most surreal song on the entire album. Tame Impala’s strange vocal inflections mixed with the commercial jingle-like melody helped define an extremely awkward song.
Artistic redemption was fully achieved by the final track, “End of Summer.” The track combined elements of every song that came before in seven minutes of musical creativity. It showcases an ambience that builds tension and suspense without sacrificing any of Tame Impala’s best executions at ear candy.
Compared to the bulk of Kevin Parker’s previous output, his newly released project sounds directionless. Despite this, many of the tracks do serve their purpose in crafting a desolate, yet welcoming atmosphere.
Anthony Fantano, a popular music critic who ruthlessly dishes out album reviews, echoed this same feeling of an aimless track list.
“So many tracks on this album feel like they took so little effort in comparison to so many of the amazing and well-written creative highlights throughout the Tame Impala catalogue,” Fantano said.
“Deadbeat” is a hard-to-swallow and stark transition from Tame Impala’s usual synth-pop sound. While there are plenty of approachable and attractive songs, there are an equal number of duds present on Kevin Parker’s fifth studio album.
