Tame Impala’s Currents is a breakup record that doesn’t sound like a breakup record. It sounds like a band shedding its skin — guitars recede, synths swell, and the whole thing drifts toward disco-house without ever losing its psychedelic edge. The 13-track album runs 51 minutes, and it moves fast enough to make that count feel generous.
Opening With Let It Happen
The opener sets the tone. It’s patient where previous Tame Impala records were restless, letting a slow build carry the song past seven minutes without ever feeling padded. The track earns its length — the chorus lands with weight after the long, hazy build.
Nangs and The Moment follow, and both are strong entries. Nangs is a quick, sharp burst of energy that clears the air after the opener’s weight. The Moment leans into the disco pulse that defines the record’s middle stretch, and it’s one of the tracks critics singled out for a reason.
Yes I’m Changing is the centerpiece. It’s a direct statement of intent — the title announces the shift, and the song delivers on it, moving away from guitar-led rock toward a synth-driven groove. It’s the track that best captures the album’s ambition.
Eventually and Gossip sit back to back. Eventually stretches past five minutes and carries some of the record’s most vivid imagery, while Gossip is brief and slight, a breather that works because it’s short.
The Middle Portion
The Less I Know the Better and Past Life are where the record starts to show its seams. Both are solid, but neither reaches the heights of the earlier tracks. Disciples and Cause I’m a Man pick the pace back up — the former is tight and driving, the latter is a slower, more reflective cut that still holds together.
Reality in Motion and Love/Paranoia round out the middle portion. Neither is essential, but both keep the momentum going without demanding attention.
Closing With New Person, Same Old Mistakes
New Person, Same Old Mistakes closes the record at six minutes, and it’s the longest track here. It’s a fitting closer — it’s patient, it’s built for repeat listens, and it leaves the door open for whatever comes next.
The album’s critical reception is strong. Metacritic puts it at 84 out of 100, and the consensus describes it as a breakup record on multiple levels, with the synth-heavy direction framed as a deliberate stylistic shift. Critics have compared it to Daft Punk’s Random Access Memories, calling it a “despairing, open-ended psych-disco hybrid.”
The three tracks critics singled out — Let It Happen, Yes I’m Changing, and The Moment — are the clearest examples of that hybrid working.
Final Word
Currents isn’t perfect. The middle portion drags slightly, and a few tracks feel like filler rather than highlights. But the record’s ambition pays off more often than not. It’s a confident, cohesive shift that rewards patience.
8.4 out of 10.
Key Facts
– Artist: Tame Impala
– Album: Currents
– Release type: Album
– Tracks: 13
– Total running time: 51 minutes
– Metacritic: 84/100
- Let It Happen7:47
- Nangs1:47
- The Moment4:15
- Yes I’m Changing4:30
- Eventually5:19
- Gossip0:55
- The Less I Know the Better3:37
- Past Life3:47
- Disciples1:48
- Cause I’m a Man4:01
- Reality in Motion4:12
- Love/Paranoia3:06
- New Person, Same Old Mistakes6:02
