Many people know Tame Impala, the 39-year-old Australian artist, from some of his hit songs such as “Borderline” or “The Less I Know, The Better.” The one man band has made himself a household name throughout his years as an artist, and this album only solidifies that status.
On Sept. 22, he announced his new album “Deadbeat,” and also released the single “Dracula” that would eventually end up in the album. The song encapsulates the Halloween vibe that is present throughout the entire album, with sharp notes and lyrics that play on the myth of the vampire Dracula himself. The music video seemed to me a mix of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller,” with a modern twist that is the vampire movie “Sinners.” Fans of Tame Impala loved the song, and predicted that the rest of the album would take on the same base tones of his bestselling album, “Currents.”
When the album eventually came out in its entirety on Oct. 17, I was ecstatic. Since 2015, Tame Impala has only released new albums every five years, meaning he hasn’t released new music since 2020. For days, “Deadbeat” was the only music I was playing, and I loved it entirely. Songs such as “Afterthought,” “My Old Ways,” and “Obsolete” stood out to me the most, catchy and incredibly on brand for the Aussie. I have nothing bad to say about any of the songs on the album, and I believe that in time, the songs I mentioned above as well as the many other incredible songs on the album will eventually end up in the Tame Impala hall of fame with his bestsellers.
Yet, when I opened social media, many people complained about the album, saying it was boring or basic when compared to “Currents” or “The Slow Rush.” I agreed to some extent, since many of my favorite songs of all time live on those albums. Many people bashed the album for seemingly any small excuse they could find, and it annoyed me quite a bit, until I stumbled upon a comment under a TikTok that read “this album really separates the fake fans from the real ones bc real ones love this album.”
That comment stuck with me, and eventually I began to realize it held some truth to it. The people complaining about the album only compared it to his most popular songs and albums, their petty complaints holding no real criticism except for the fact that “Deadbeat” wasn’t groundbreaking. Not every album will be everyone’s favorite, and of course people can not like something just “because,” but hating on an album just because it didn’t live up to your expectations and disliking it only for that fact won’t allow you to appreciate the incredible music that has been produced.
I sincerely love this album and this artist. “Deadbeat” will be in my queue for the foreseeable future, and I’m excited to see what he comes out with next in 2030.