Kevin Parker has done it again, blindsiding fans with another new single titled Posthumous Forgiveness, taken from Tame Impala’s forthcoming album The Slow Rush.
Rubbed up with Parker’s classic lasagna-bake of crunchy guitars fused with trip-hoppy breaks, the new single takes us through a myriad of worlds once visited but now explored thoroughly.
It begins with a somber, nostalgic combination of clavicle style keys and Motown sounding bass. Immediately you get the sense that Parker has stepped into the shine of a single spotlight and grabbed the mic to say something important and intensely personal, as if they could have been the final words he’d ever have the chance to utter.
A lonely, modulated guitar whispers a sensitive down-and-out tune, whilst getting to know the overwhelming slow-jam of a drum beat with limitless crunch. As usual, Parker is not afraid to infuse the soulful number with a healthy dose of flanger over the entire tack to give it that mind-bending wormhole effect, characteristic of the Impala sound.
Taking us to the bridge is a wildcard, synth-heavy buildup striking on every beat in an EDM style build-up to something even bigger. Parker delightfully plays with various synth arrangements to give the track a night-time neon effect, like a sprint through a Bladerunner-Esque alleyway on acid.
Finally, the mind-bending instrumental build fades out to a soothing breakbeat which uplifts the listener via Parker’s multi-layered stack of reverbed vocal tracks, dancing around his angelic falsetto range that never fails to please.
Little licks of colourful imagery are received in between the waves of sub-synths and vocals which paint a surreal but somehow tangible backdrop to the story of Posthumous Forgiveness with lines like “you could store an ocean in the pools in any of the explanations that you gave” and “Mick Jagger on the phone”.
The single is the most recent tasty bit of Parker fodder to give us something to snack on while awaiting the release of Tame Impala’s forthcoming album The Slow Rush. The album is set to drop on February 14th.
Stream the track below:
