“Patience”

“Has it been even that long?” Kevin Parker echoes what we’re all thinking with his first words on Tame Impala’s comeback single, “Patience.” The four years since Currents mark the longest stretch of time between any of his albums, and yet that album, the Australian psych-rocker’s full-on plunge into studio auteurism, still feels fresh, the gleaming opus of a producer obsessed with fine-tuning his vision. Currents made Tame Impala a household name, launching them to Coachella-headliner status and inspiring superstar covers and collaborations. The band’s latest track sends a clear signal: Change is incremental.

“Patience” is a yacht rock cruiser that opens with a piano riff worthy of Hall & Oates and those congas on the cover art make a big appearance. The band still seems a bit allergic to guitars for now—most of the song is driven by a rotating ensemble of rumbling bass slides and arpeggiated synths—but other well-worn Tame Impala tricks prevail. Their signature phaser effects mark the exits and entrances into verses and choruses, and the drums remain crispy (though less polished than the last go-round.)

Parker remains enamored with universal notions—personal growth, man, the interminable passage of time—much the same as he did on their massive single “Let It Happen.” But unlike Currents’ opener, “Patience” is more carpe diem than c’est la vie. When Parker sings, “I should be flying straight, don’t delay, ’cause time takes from everyone,” in his unmistakable reverb-laden tenor, it’s so impressively bland it feels like staring at a Magic Eye poster that never reveals anything. That said, Tame Impala manage to gracefully ride the fine line between maintaining their style and falling into self-parody. Returning with a nearly-five-minute keyboard excursion is what makes Kevin Parker the mastermind, the purveyor of vibes, so exhilarating—even if we’ve heard it all before.