Tame Impala’s Deadbeat is a record about endings, decay, and the slow death of desire. It is also the band’s most ambitious album to date, stretching past the hour mark with a title track that runs nearly eight minutes and a closer that tops seven. The Australian psychedelic rock outfit has spent three albums building a sound that fuses guitar rock with synthesizer haze, and here they lean harder into the latter, burying the guitars beneath layers of reverb and delay. This is a record that wants to be both hypnotic and mournful, often at once.
Opening With the Title Track
The album opens with “My Old Ways,” a slow-burning track that sets the tone immediately. The song is a meditation on nostalgia and the weight of memory, and it does not rush anywhere. The production is thick, the tempo is patient, and the vocals float above the mix like a ghost. It is a strong start, but it also establishes the record’s central tension: the music is lush and inviting, while the lyrics are weary and resigned.
“No Reply” follows, and it is the first real burst of energy. The track has a driving beat and a chorus that snaps back after the opener’s languor. It is a relief, though it does not quite match the depth of what came before it. “Dracula” is a strange detour, a track built around a sample loop that feels more like a sketch than a finished song. It is the weakest moment on the record, a placeholder that does not earn its runtime.
The Middle Stretch
“Loser” picks the pace back up, and it is one of the album’s best songs. The bassline is funky, the vocal is urgent, and the chorus lands with real force. It is a rare moment of clarity on a record that mostly drifts. “Oblivion” slows things down again, a track about forgetting and moving on that leans heavily on atmospheric synthesis. It is well-crafted, but it repeats ideas the record has already covered.
“Not My World” is a mid-tempo rocker with a swagger that the album needs. The guitars are more prominent here, and the melody sticks. It is a welcome change of pace, even if it does not break new ground. “Piece of Heaven” is a quieter affair, a ballad that builds slowly to a climax. It is pleasant, but it is also the most conventional track on the record, a pop-leaning number that feels slightly out of place.
“Obsolete” returns to the slow burn, a track about being left behind that matches the album’s overall mood. It is a solid, if unremarkable, entry in the sequence.
The Epic Centerpiece
Then comes the centerpiece: “Ethereal Connection,” a seven-minute epic that stretches the album’s runtime to its breaking point. It is a sprawling, psychedelic journey that rewards patience, with shifting textures and a sense of scale that the rest of the record only hints at. It is the best track here, and it justifies the entire project.
“See You on Monday (You’re Lost)” is a shorter, more direct track that brings the record back to earth. It is a farewell song, and it delivers its message with a simplicity that cuts through the haze. It works as a palate cleanser after the epic before it. “Afterthought” is a quiet, reflective closer that ties the themes together, a track about regret and the passage of time. It is a fitting end, though it is not a spectacular one.
The final track, “End of Summer,” closes the album with a long, winding instrumental coda. It is a slow fade-out that leaves the listener with a sense of exhaustion rather than resolution. It is not a bad ending, but it is a quiet one.
Verdict on the Record
The record is uneven, but its highs are high enough to justify the listen. The weaker tracks are sketches rather than failures, and the stronger ones are genuinely excellent. The ambition is real, and the execution mostly matches it. This is a band reaching for something bigger, and mostly finding it.
| Track | Length | Role |
|---|---|---|
| My Old Ways | 4:58 | Opening statement |
| No Reply | 3:35 | Energy release |
| Dracula | 3:25 | Sketch, not a song |
| Loser | 3:43 | Best song on the record |
| Oblivion | 4:28 | Atmospheric filler |
| Not My World | 4:14 | Mid-tempo rocker |
| Piece of Heaven | 4:44 | Ballad |
| Obsolete | 4:23 | Solid, unremarkable |
| Ethereal Connection | 7:42 | Epic centerpiece |
| See You on Monday (You’re Lost) | 3:34 | Palate cleanser |
| Afterthought | 4:01 | Reflective closer |
| End of Summer | 7:13 | Fade-out |
“Ethereal Connection” is the best track on the record, a sprawling, psychedelic journey that rewards patience.
The record’s ambition is its strength and its weakness. The longer tracks demand attention, and some listeners will find the sprawl exhausting. But the peaks are real, and they are worth the climb.
- My Old Ways4:58
- No Reply3:35
- Dracula3:25
- Loser3:43
- Oblivion4:28
- Not My World4:14
- Piece of Heaven4:44
- Obsolete4:23
- Ethereal Connection7:42
- See You on Monday (You’re Lost)3:34
- Afterthought4:01
- End of Summer7:13
