New Listen: Tame Impala – Lost In Yesterday

January 8, 2020 – It’s become seriously hard to find anything that Tame Impala does wrong, in my book.  I became a full time fan the first time I heard Mind Mischief and watched the accompanying video.  That drum fill, man.  Honestly, I just like the way Kevin Parker makes music.  Like Mind Mischief, Parker takes risks with the rhythm track on Lost In Yesterday.  It’s not the most standard drum track ever and brings so much character to the song – although these drums tracks couldn’t be more different, sonically, from one another.  ‘Yesterday doesn’t have that raw drum sound but the tom-tom cadence definitely keeps it interesting.  Just like that drum fill in ‘Mischief.  I guess you could say different but the same.  Weird, I know.

The music of Tame Impala has a way inviting you in and then allowing you to get lost in the song.  In this case, it could be Parker’s ghostly vocal or timely placed reverses.  Maybe it’s the synth accompanied by sounds that feel like flashes of light.  Whatever it is, it works.  One more noise of note.  The bass line here is so special.  Since most of the time the bass doesn’t get mentioned, I’m going to go out on a limb and say that’s what did it for me.  First listen through and I got lost in that bass line.  Everyone that knows me, knows that Bernard Edwards is Top 3 for me all time and this bass line has that funky Chic feel to it.  

Lyrically, I love the pre-chorus in this song.  My absolute favorite is when they come out of the second chorus and flow into the bridge:

If it calls you, embrace it If it haunts you, face it

I know it’s bad, I understand It’s only Snakes and Ladders The period you never had There’s only one that matters

I love good songwriting and Tame Impala demonstrates their unique ability to write great songs from the lyric to the final beat.  So while we have to wait for about another month to hear The Slow Rush – which comes out on February 14th via Modular Recordings – we get a taste of what is to come with Lost In Yesterday.  I’m confident Tame Impala will continue to be one of my personal favorites.

-Tommy Marz

You can follow Tommy on Twitter @tommymarzband and let him know what you think.