Tame Impala, brainchild of Kevin Parker, released its fifth studio album, Deadbeat, on October 17th. The album had lots of anticipation, as Tame Impala’s last album, The Slow Rush, was released in 2020. Three singles were released prior to Deadbeat, which were “End of Summer”, “Loser”, and “Dracula”. The album has a total run time of 56 minutes and has 12 tracks, but are they any good? Here is my review of Tame Impala’s Deadbeat, starting with the songs I thought were in the middle of the road in the album.

A song I thought was decent was “No Reply”. It doesn’t help that it’s sandwiched between two of my favorite tracks, but it also lacks direction overall, and is only saved by a nice piano part at the end. “Loser” is another decent track, and has a different sound than the rest of the album with its heavy use of guitars, but also fails to go anywhere. The longest cut on the album, “Ethereal Connection”, also found itself in the middle of the pack, with a drawn out yet relaxing buildup that was interrupted by harsh drums, before the calming sound returned towards the end. “Afterthought” was another all-around decent track, with some good bass and use of the triangle instrument, but isn’t very memorable. I rate all of these cuts a 7/10, as they’re still enjoyable, but don’t stand out as much as the best tracks,

Speaking of the best tracks, one of my favorites was the first track, “My Old Ways”. It serves as a strong introduction to the album with a nice piano melody and an old-timey sounding choir. It’s repetitive, but this works in its favor as it’s very catchy. Another favorite was “Dracula”, a song that sounds like halloween with its hard-hitting synthesizers and bells. “Piece of Heaven” also proved to be a great cut, with a buildup of synthesizer strings that sounds almost magical, and a decent drop to go with it. One more standout track was “Obsolete”, which was the grooviest of the album with an outstanding bassline, although it seemed to lose steam towards the end. I rate all of these songs an 8/10, as they left something to be desired, but still left a really good impression. I will definitely be coming back to these songs regularly. 

As for the songs on Deadbeat that I enjoyed least, “Oblivion” was one of them. It sounds off putting and out of key initially, but redeems itself a little towards the end. This is one I could definitely see growing on me. “Not My World” was my least favorite song on the project, as it showed promise midway through with a buildup that led to a repetitive and disappointing outcome. “See You On Monday (You’re Lost)” was another track on the lower end of the album, as it lacks a lot of progression throughout its runtime and is forgettable overall. Rounding off the less than favorable songs is “End of Summer”, a long track that seems to build up to a moment that never arrives, a song scattered with occasional good ideas, but ones that feel disconnected. I rate all of these tracks 6/10, and “Not My World” specifically a 5/10. They have redeeming qualities, but are often too forgettable or memorable for the wrong reasons.

The final track on Deadbeat, “The End of Summer”, feels like a representation of the album as a whole. It has its moments, and is generally an enjoyable listen, but can feel drawn out and disjointed at times. The production on Deadbeat is often less maximalist, a big change from Tame Impala’s previous project, and something that may lead some to be disappointed by this project. But because of all this, the best way to listen to Deadbeat is to not worry about all of these things and just listen. The same goes for not comparing the project to its critically acclaimed predecessors. When you do this, I find the album to be enjoyable with high enough highs to make it all worth it. Overall, I’d give the entire album a 7/10. This is a score that, like some of its tracks, could easily grow on people in the coming months and years.