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And the 2019 Coachella headliners arrrre!…
*Drumroll*
Childish Gambino, Ariana Grande, and… Tame Impala?
If you’re hip like we are, you been knew about the psych-rock outfit from Perth, Australia that’s been out here making hits for the last nine years. But perhaps you’re among the unfortunate few who have yet to be introduced to the band’s excellence beyond that cover Rihanna featured on ANTI (say what?). Whether you’ve heard their name but never pursued, or you just have no idea who TF they are, here are a few fun facts we rounded up about your next favorite band. Trust us, you’ll f*ck with them.
They’ve Been Around for a Minute
Since 2010, to be exact. With four albums under their belt—one of which is a “Live Versions“ release—you could probably call Tame Impala veterans at this point. Their 2012 release, Lonerism, nabbed them a Grammy nomination for Best Alternative Music Album. Among their other accolades are the ARIA Awards for Best Rock Album and Album of the Year they took home for both Lonerism and their third album, Currents (our personal fave). Frontman Kevin Parker also won the APRA Award for Song of the Year in 2016 thanks to Currents‘ opening track, “Let It Happen“—which is, as one might say, a bop.
That Was Their Song Rihanna Covered on ANTI
We’re talking about fan favorite “Same Ol’ Mistakes,” which was a take on “New Person, Same Old Mistakes” from the band’s 2015 album, Currents. “I got a message from my manager saying what was going to happen,” Parker told NME of learning about Rihanna‘s desire to cover the song. “I checked it twice, pinched myself… woke up the next morning and made sure it actually happened.”
And who wouldn’t? Like… it’s Rihanna. Even more of a “compliment” (as Parker called it), Ri barely deviated from the original. “Maybe they tried to improve it and they couldn’t,” he joked.
It is a pretty damn good song. Listen to both versions below:
Speaking of Covers, They Once Covered Outkast
It happened back in 2013 during the band’s appearance on Australian radio station Triple J’s “Like a Version.” We’ll admit it’s not really our favorite Outkast cover ever, but we respect the hell out of them for doing the cover regardless. Kevin Parker’s got taste.
Listen below:
They’ve Got a Close Relationship with Hip-Hop and R&B in General
Allow us to run down a list of other admirers and collaborators: SZA (featured the band on her “Together” single), Travis Scott (Parker played bass in a collaborative set featuring Scott and John Mayer on SNL and was also involved in the production of “Skeletons” from Scott’s ASTROWORLD), Theophilus London (the band released a song featuring Young Theo in October), A$AP Rocky (“Sundress” was inspired by cult Impala classic “Why Won’t You Make Up Your Mind?“), Kendrick Lamar (a rework of Impala’s “Feels Like We Only Go Backwards” featuring Kendrick Lamar exists), Miguel (shout out to the band for making “Waves” even more of a banger).
They Have a New Album on the Way
As the band stated on Instagram not too long ago: “New year. New shows. New sounds.” And while there’s been no official confirmation of the album dropping this year, chances are it might.
“I would very much hope so. I’d be very disappointed if we didn’t have something out by then,” Parker told Beats 1’s Matt Wilkinson last year. “I mean, I love playing the songs live – I love playing ‘Currents’ songs; I love playing ‘Lonerism’ songs and everything – but I think I’m ready to play some other songs live. All the instinctual things are there.”
