Deconstructing Tame Impala: Innerspeaker

Innerspeaker is Tame Impala’s debut album, it was released on 21 May, 2010. It is heavy psychedelia rock album that play with the theme of hopeless romantic feeling with a chill stoner vibe. The guitar on this LP is swirling and hypnotic, the reverb helps in heightening the psychedelic aura that the albums aim for. From the trippy album art to its last track it doesn’t stops to impress. Kevin draws heavy inspiration from the late 60s American Psychedelia and Brit Pop. The laidback and chill attitude of Kevin’s voice really augment the feeling he tries to communicate through his songs.

This album requires a complete listen to fully understand the imagery that Kevin is trying to show us. In opening track ‘It is not meant to be’ expresses his hopeless romantic feeling that he had experience. It doesn’t fail to impresses me how these kinds of story perfectly fit with drug induced melody through which we the story is being narrated to us. In the track ‘Lucidity’, the state of yearning for being in a lucid state is expressed, it becomes relatable to the listener. Lucidity doesn’t only mean the state of being free from any kind of intoxicant, it can be also interpreted as something that cloud your judgment which might not always be an intoxicant, like love.

The most memorable part of the ablum is “Alter go”, the sentimental waves of psychedelia permeating all over this track. The melodies are powerful, the instrumentation an incredible rhythmic dance. It explains the inner struggle of Kevin and adds an emotional layer that marks desperation.

The album juggles the theme of being intoxicant and having your heart broken. If someone were to ask me what type of album it is, I would tell them it is the perfect stoner-breakup album. The album is emotionally dense and though the ideas might sound corny but when you listen to them, Kevin’s lyrics has that cool factor that can express genuine emotions without being sounding overly cheesy. In the song ‘Expectation’, when the chorus is sung the line ‘Expectation is taking its toll’ hits you like nothing else, the euphoria created is uncanny. The track ‘Jeremy’s Storm’ is full blown instrumental piece, its guitar places you in a comfortable place of nostalgia. The unnerving and never-ending nature of give you a bittersweet experience till the end of the song. This is not Kevin’s Best work in his discography, but it is certainly a very good album, a very solid and memorable debut album.