This week marks the 5 year anniversary since the release of Tame Impala’s seminal sophomore effort, Lonerism. Lonerism is a very important album in the development of my music taste. I kind of discovered it at the perfect time. I was in high school and really struggling to figure out where I fit in (something I still deal with, admittedly) and this album helped me feel like I wasn’t the only person going through this. These are my thoughts on the album after having spent the past several years of my life listening to it.

The first track I heard off of Lonerism was “Feels Like We Only Go Backwards”, arguably the most popular single. Words cannot describe what went through my head the first time I listened to this song. The intertwining of the plucking bass and repeated synth lead into a hypnotic “bum-bum-BAM” drum pattern had me immediately hooked. Coming from a kid who had never really listened to the neo-psych genre, these sounds opened up a brand new world that I had no knowledge of. As Kevin Parkers vocals and bassline kept trekking on, lyrics of not being able to let go of someone you love rang through my ears. Not only was this an entirely new sound for me, but I realized I was not alone when it came to dependency on a significant other. Kevin (I will refer to him by his first name because the music is that personal) also deals with this weakness and belts out the pain of his situation,”I know that you think you sound silly when you call my name/ but I hear it inside my head all day” (an idea that is fully fleshed out on the follow-up to Lonersim: Currents, my favorite album of all-time). Kevin is confessing “Hey you may think this is all fun and games, but this relationship is my entire world”. The girl Kevin is singing to may be into him for selfish reasons and may have other intentions than what he has for this relationship which is something I am no stranger to.

After hearing this single I drank the Kool-Aid and listened to the rest of the album. Immediate stand outs were “Apocalypse Dreams”, “Elephant”, “Music to Walk Home By”, and “Why Won’t They Talk to Me?”. It wasn’t until I was a full-on Tame Impala devotee that I listened to their RSD release, Live Versions. The live rendition of the opening track “Be Above It” quickly became my favorite track off of Lonerism. “Be Above It” is a self-confidence anthem that doesn’t deviate from the albums concept of loneliness. The constant repetition of the line,”Gotta be above it”, gives off a sense of optimistic fatigue. Like Kevin knows he is in for the long haul when getting over his previous relationship but he remains positive that he will. Almost as if he is a welterweight boxer going up against a heavyweight champ. Starting the album off with this positivity grounds Kevin in reality amongst these depressing thoughts that keep running through his head. The following track, “Ender’s Toi”, expands this idea of finding other areas of life to put effort and attention into. There is strong theme of falling and getting back up that runs throughout Lonerism. In the track “Mind Mischief”, Kevin meets this girl that is way out of his league that he thinks he has a shot with. Things are going well until he realizes that she was just leading him on and she doesn’t see them as anything but friends. This optimism that was set-up by the two tracks that opened the album proved a bit naive. However, this optimism/naivety sets Kevin up as the protagonist within the albums ever growing narrative. The instrumental for “Mind Mischief” is one of the more iconic tracks off the album, but in my opinion the instrumental doesn’t seem fully fleshed out. The opening guitar riff that runs through the album is infectious, but never takes a turn or evolves. Kevin is known for his unpredictable instrumentals like on “Why Won’t They Talk To Me”, and “Mind Mischief” doesn’t do try to change up its sound throughout its runtime. Given the up and down narrative of the track, a little more instrumental variety would elevate this track to one of the best in Kevin’s discography.

So yes, Lonerism does not lack emotional range. But what makes the sounds that Kevin puts out in front of us so memorable and special? I think the most obvious go-to when answering this question is Kevin’s tendency to draw from his influences… *cough *cough Revolver-era Lennon. While Lonerism does wear its influences on its sleeve, never is it done distastefully. The way Lonerism blends melodies with moments of psych-rock harmony is reminiscent of some of the most memorable Beatles and Utopia moments, a big reason that keeps fans coming back to the music. The riffs are iconic, i.e. “Elephant”, “Mind Mischief”, “Led Zeppelin”, and the drum patterns and bass interplay are implanted into the ears of everyone that listens. Kevin has gone on record saying that The Beatles and Fleetwood Mac records that his parents would play throughout his childhood greatly inspired him to start making music and Lonerism displays this in a refreshing way. The closing track “Sun’s Coming Up” feels like an homage to the classic McCartney piano ballads such as “Yesterday” or “Maybe, I’m Amazed”. The climax instrumentally of the album is “Keep On Lying”. The way Kevin mixes riffs and synth leads leaves the listener feeling like they are being consumed by the music. He then inserts a distorted vocal track in the middle of this instrumental moment and the listener can’t really make out what the people are saying. This leads to a feeling of being included in a conversation but feeling left out and isolated because, yes you are there but you are not participating in this discussion. This feeling of sonic isolation is something Kevin revisits on the following track “NTHHSFHBATWCC” and on Currents. Kevin is the master of using vocal tracks and instruments to convey a feeling of well, lonerism.

Its no secret that Tame Impala is my personal favorite recording act working today. And while I do not regard Lonerism as Tame Impala’s best project like most do, it would be asinine of me to not recognize the greatness that Kevin Parker laid out on tape. This is an album that should not be limited to fans of indie and psychedelic rock, but should be listened to by fans of music and anyone that has ever felt isolated, alone, or dependent on someone you’ve loved. Lonerism is a true masterpiece and will stand the test of time as one of the most important pieces of music to the neo-pysch genre of this decade and maybe century.