Tame Impala’s “Lonerism” 10th Anniversary
Written by Gina Zapata on October 18, 2022
Lonerism, Tame Impala’s second album, turned 10 years old on Oct. 5.
Kevin Parker, the Australian musician behind the project, creates music that can be described as psychedelic trip-pop, electric or alternative. The album is filled with synthesizers and ambient music, which leaves listeners in a positive mood as the music is used to enhance the atmosphere.
The artist commented on the album’s anniversary with two Instagram posts. The first one stated what the album means to him, and the second post stated that he almost named the album Loner Pop. Then, he explained why he chose the album title we know now.
Lonerism is a very fitting title for what most of the songs’ lyrics are about. The first track in the album is “Be Above It” , which has almost a “wave” sound to it, and is more of an electric song. It talks about how the writer has to be above everything that is going on around him, and to be patient with wanting to be successful. We can get this feeling from the drums and the background voice repeating “got to be above it.”
“While the looping, fast-paced drums represent one’s eagerness for immediate success, the deliberate pacing of the vocal melodies suggests the reality that it won’t happen overnight. It is the rock star’s mantra to exercise patience.” a Genius Lyrics contributor said in 2015.
The album goes as follows:
- “Be Above It“
- “Endors Toi“
- “Apocalypse Dreams”
- “Mind Mischief“
- “Music To Walk Home By”
- “Why Won’t They Talk To Me?”
- “Feels Like We Only Go Backwards”
- “Keep On Lying”
- “Elephant”
- “She Just Won’t Believe Me”
- “Nothing That Has Happened So Far Has Been Anything We Could Control“
- “Sun’s Coming Up”
Lonerism is a concept album; all songs follow the same theme or story. For example, the sixth title track “Why Won’t They Talk To Me?” gives the idea that the writer needs a human connection. Parker is questioning loneliness and himself in the world. In contrast to his song “Solitude is Bliss” from his first album InnerSpeaker, fans seem to call it an “introvert’s anthem”.
The album itself has left a great impact on the music industry. Popular artists like Travis Scott sampled “Feels Like We Only Go Backwards” in his 2018 song “SKELETONS“. It features The Weeknd and Pharrell Williams.
“To me, at the time, that was like the most pop song I’ve ever written. I’ve never written a song that was just chorus. I was really proud of that one. There was never a time when I doubted that song. It feels like it’s the most effortless.” Parker said with French publication, Konbini.
Parker also displays his influences in the songs “Led Zeppelin,” and “Sun’s Coming Up”, which can be interpreted as his influences from The Beatles.
To celebrate the album’s 10 year anniversary, Parker performed Lonerism in its entirety at the Desert Daze Music Festival in Lake Perris, CA. The artist is not touring in the U.S. after Desert Daze. Tame Impala is playing at Lollapalooza Chile 2023 and Estéreo Picnic 2023 in Colombia. Hopefully, we will see more of him throughout the years.
