By Liz Hammond, Digital Media Editor
Everyone has that one staple album in their collection: the one they listen to when there’s nothing else of substance out there.
For me, it’s “Current” by Tame Impala. It was released in 2015, which seems so long ago, but this album doesn’t age.
Every listen to this album gets better than the last. The opening song “Let It Happen” doesn’t have any guitar on it, which is unusual for Kevin Parker. The song just sounds like one big repeated synth and really brings you back to the days of disco.
This album is a testament to what Parker can do and how he rivals other bands that try to do the same thing. His synth patterns are unrivaled on songs from the album like “Nangs” and “Gossip.”
The one song off “Currents” that always gets me is “Yes I’m Changing.” If you ever need a song to pick you up when you’re feeling down, I suggest this one. It is the most uplifting song.
The lyrics, “Another version of myself I think I found/ at last,” give me hope that yes, times are hard right now, but that doesn’t mean I’m stuck. This is something that all of us need to be reminded of at times.
“Eventually” is that one song you need to hear after going through a breakup.
Essentially, the song preaches that you and your happiness come first before the other person.
The lyrics, “But I know that I’ll be happier/And I know you will, too/Eventually,” make it clear that it’s okay to put yourself first and it’ll work out in the end for the other person. According to Parker, it pays to be optimistic.
The one song that everyone needs to add to their playlist right now is “The Less I Know the Better.” Every time I play this song, people always ask me what it was because it’s truly just a jam. This is Parker in his finest form: the song has the simplest guitar riff, but it won’t ever get out of your head.
In this song, it’s him calling out a girl that he likes for being with someone else. He doesn’t want to know all the details, but he knows that he wants her, hence the name of the song.
Then the song “Past Life” comes on and it’s Parker going off into this long monologue at the beginning. It’s really bizarre and you get really odd looks when it comes on when your music is on shuffle, but still.
“‘Cause I’m a Man” is one song that could put me to sleep: it has such a light tone and Parker’s voice is soothing, but the meaning and lyrics behind the song are so important.
Even in 2015, he was examining the role of masculinity in a relationship.
With the lyrics, “You wanna know why I always think I’m right?/I can never accept defeat and let it slide/I have no voice if I don’t speak my mind/ My weakness is the of all my pride/I’ll tell you why/‘Cause I’m a man, woman,” it’s all satire of what men are supposed to be in a relationship.
You might have heard HAIM’s remix of this song, and truly it was incredible. Their voices did so much for the song: the group gave it more depth and control.
That song isn’t the only one covered by an equally famous artist. The song “New Person, Same Old Mistakes” was covered by Rihanna.
Most people thought that it was her own because she changed the title to “Same Ol’ Mistakes” and changed up the beat, but now you can dispel that rumor.
Her cover definitely lived up the hype: all the lyrics are the same but her voice, yet again, adds a new dimension to the song that Parker was previously missing.
This album has gotten me through some really hard times in my life and if I didn’t share that with someone I would be upset with myself. I think that everyone needs to hear these songs because so many of them bring to light what we all deal with on an everyday basis