History of Tame Impala in Timeline

Tame Impala is the psychedelic music project spearheaded by Australian musician Kevin Parker. Parker is responsible for writing, recording, performing, and producing all of Tame Impala's studio music. The touring band consists of Parker, Dominic Simper, Jay Watson, Cam Avery, and Julien Barbagallo, and has close ties to the band Pond, with shared members and collaborators. Tame Impala was initially signed to Modular Recordings but is currently signed with Interscope Records in the U.S. and Fiction Records in the UK.

2007: Project conception

In 2007, Kevin Parker originally conceived the Tame Impala project in Perth.

2007: Tame Impala emerges as a home-recording project

In 2007, Tame Impala emerged as a home-recording project created by Kevin Parker. He posted a number of tracks on Myspace, which generated interest from various labels.

July 2008: Signing with Modular Recordings

In July 2008, Kevin Parker, under the name Tame Impala, signed a worldwide deal with the independent Modular Recordings label.

September 2008: Self-titled EP Release

In September 2008, Tame Impala released their self-titled EP. It reached number 1 on the Australian Independent Record Labels (AIR) Chart and number 10 on the ARIA Physical Singles Chart. Songs like "Desire Be, Desire Go", "Half Full Glass of Wine", and "Skeleton Tiger" received national radio airplay.

2008: First gig

In 2008, Allbrook played his first gig with Tame Impala at Perth's Belvoir Amphitheatre.

2008: First appearance on Triple J's Hottest 100

In 2008, Tame Impala appeared on Triple J's Hottest 100 list for the first time, with "Half Full Glass of Wine" at number 75. The song also appeared on the Hottest 100 compilation album.

2008: Tours and Festival Performances

Throughout 2008, Tame Impala's tours included support slots for You Am I, The Black Keys, Yeasayer, and MGMT. The band also performed at Southbound Festival, Meredith Music Festival, and Falls Festival, in addition to national headline tours in support of their EP.

March 2009: "Sundown Syndrome" recorded in London

In March 2009, while in the UK, Tame Impala recorded their debut single, "Sundown Syndrome", at Toerag Studios in London with recording engineer Liam Watson.

May 2009: "Sundown Syndrome" premiere

On Sunday, May 10, 2009, "Sundown Syndrome" by Tame Impala was premiered by Richard Kingsmill on his "2009" show on Triple J.

July 2009: "Sundown Syndrome" release

In July 2009, Tame Impala's debut single, "Sundown Syndrome", was released on vinyl and digitally, with a cover of "Remember Me" by DJ Blue Boy.

August 2009: Headlining Rottofest

In August 2009, Tame Impala headlined the inaugural "Rottofest", an annual comedy, film, and music festival held on Rottnest Island off the coast of Western Australia.

October 2009: National Tour in Support of Single

Following Rottofest, in September and October 2009, Tame Impala embarked on a national tour in support of their single. The song "Remember Me" appeared at number 78 on Triple J's Hottest 100 for 2009.

2009: Skeleton Tiger and UK Tours

In 2009, Tame Impala's tours included a sold-out six-date "Skeleton Tiger" national headline tour and a five-date UK tour (including Nevereverland UK), as well as performances at V Festival.

May 2010: Innerspeaker Album Tour Commencement

On May 13, 2010, Tame Impala commenced the Innerspeaker album tour as the opening act for MGMT's 2010 American tour.

May 2010: Innerspeaker album release

On May 21, 2010, Tame Impala's debut album Innerspeaker was released. In the UK the official release date was June 28, but iTunes accidentally made it available for purchase on May 12. The album was released in the United States on June 8 to general and critical acclaim.

November 2010: J Award Win for Innerspeaker

On November 29, 2010, Tame Impala's album Innerspeaker won Australian youth-oriented radio network Triple J's highest honour, the J Award for Album of the Year.

2010: First J Award Win

In 2010, Tame Impala won their first J Award for their debut album Innerspeaker.

2010: Innerspeaker album release

In 2010, Tame Impala's debut studio album, Innerspeaker, was released. It was certified gold in Australia and well received by critics.

2010: Big Day Out Festival Appearance

In early 2010, Tame Impala appeared at the Australian/New Zealand Big Day Out festival, performing alongside bands such as Muse, The Mars Volta, Kasabian, and Rise Against.

2011: Rolling Stone Award

In 2011, Tame Impala's album Innerspeaker won Album of the Year award by Rolling Stone.

July 2012: "Apocalypse Dreams" free download

On July 7, 2012, Tame Impala released the song "Apocalypse Dreams" as a free download.

September 2012: U.S. Feature in The FADER

In September 2012, Tame Impala's first U.S. feature appeared on the cover of The FADER publication, in its 82nd issue.

November 2012: Lonerism wins J Award

In November 2012, Tame Impala's album, Lonerism, won the 2012 J Award for Australian Album of the Year, marking the second time the band received the award.

2012: International Tour Start and Festival Appearances

In 2012, Tame Impala began an international tour that would last through 2013, supported by The Growl. During this tour, they performed at major festivals like Coachella and Sasquatch Festival and made an appearance on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.

2012: Lonerism album release

In 2012, Tame Impala's follow-up album, Lonerism, was released to critical acclaim. The album reached platinum status in Australia and received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Alternative Music Album.

2012: Lonerism album release and production

In 2012, Tame Impala's second album, Lonerism, was released. It was mixed by Dave Fridmann and largely written and recorded by Kevin Parker at his home in Perth, Western Australia, with additional recording in France.

January 2013: Lonerism selected as Album of the Year by Rolling Stone

In January 2013, Rolling Stone selected Tame Impala's Lonerism as the 2012 Album of the Year, after they also won the award in 2011 for Innerspeaker. UK magazine NME also announced it as album of the year.

May 2013: Parker's comments on album creation

In May 2013, Parker expressed a lack of excitement for creating another album, suggesting the potential for exploring alternative methods of releasing and listening to music.

May 2013: Allbrook's Departure Announcement

On May 18, 2013, it was announced via Facebook that Allbrook would be leaving Tame Impala to focus on other musical endeavors. Cam Avery of Pond and The Growl would take his place.

December 2013: Grammy Nomination Announcement

In December 2013, Lonerism received a 2014 Grammy Award nomination in the Best Alternative Music Album category.

2013: Parker's thoughts on music creation

In 2013, Kevin Parker shared his perspective on the evolving landscape of music creation, suggesting an inclination towards exploring unconventional approaches beyond the traditional album format.

2013: International Tour

In 2013, Tame Impala continued their international tour, supported by The Growl. During this tour, they played major festivals such as Coachella and Sasquatch Festival, and appeared on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. For this tour, Watson switched from drums to keyboards, and Parker recruited Julien Barbagallo on drums.

May 2014: Inclination toward album recording

In May 2014, Parker discussed his increasing inclination toward recording another album and outlined his vision for a more minimal, electronic sound, drawing inspiration from Fleetwood Mac.

2014: Grammy Nomination

In 2014, Tame Impala received a Grammy Award nomination for Lonerism in the Best Alternative Music Album category.

2014: Recording of follow-up album

It is believed that at the beginning of 2014, Kevin Parker started recording the follow-up album to Lonerism, at the Wave House in Western Australia, where Innerspeaker was recorded.

January 2015: New album and festival announcement

In January 2015, Spinning Top Music announced that Tame Impala would release a new album in 2015 and perform at the Boston Calling Music Festival in May 2015.

March 2015: "Let It Happen" release

On March 11, 2015, Tame Impala released a new song titled "Let It Happen" as a free download.

April 2015: Revenue issues

During the April 30, 2015, Reddit AMA, Kevin Parker revealed that he had not received any royalties from Tame Impala's record sales outside of Australia and that the money had been spent by someone higher up.

April 2015: Currents album cover and "'Cause I'm a Man" release

On April 5, 2015, Tame Impala announced and released the album cover for Currents and released the first official single from the album called "'Cause I'm a Man". Later that month, on April 22, 2015, Tame Impala officially released "Let it Happen" as the second single from the album. On April 29, 2015, Kevin Parker held an AMA on Reddit, where he provoked fans to ask him to release a new song, then responding with "Disciples", which became the first promotional single for Currents.

May 2015: Boston Calling Music Festival

In May 2015, Tame Impala was announced to perform at the Boston Calling Music Festival.

May 2015: Album release date and "Eventually" release

On May 7, 2015, Tame Impala announced that the album Currents would be released on July 17, 2015, and released the third official single, "Eventually".

July 2015: Currents Release

In July 2015, Tame Impala's album Currents was released and ended up being the best-selling album in their discography, with 1.3 million copies sold worldwide.

2016: APRA Award win

In 2016, Kevin Parker won the APRA Award for Song of the Year for Currents' first track, "Let It Happen."

March 2018: Parker works on "Skeletons"

In March 2018, Parker collaborated with Travis Scott, Kanye West, and others on the song "Skeletons", which Scott released on his album Astroworld.

July 2018: Parker confirms new Tame Impala album

In July 2018, Parker confirmed he had begun working on a new Tame Impala album and expressed interest in headlining Glastonbury Festival in 2019.

July 2018: Tame Impala at Citadel Festival

In July 2018, Tame Impala played a headline set at London's Citadel Festival.

July 2018: Tame Impala teams up with ZHU on "My Life"

On July 1, 2018, Tame Impala collaborated with electronic artist ZHU to create the single "My Life".

October 2018: Parker plays bass for Travis Scott on SNL

In October 2018, Parker played bass for rapper Travis Scott's performance of "Skeletons/Astrothunder" on Saturday Night Live, with John Mayer also in the backing band.

January 2019: Tame Impala headlines Coachella

In January 2019, Tame Impala was announced as a headliner for the 2019 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.

March 2019: Tame Impala releases "Patience" and performs on SNL

On March 21, 2019, Tame Impala released the single "Patience" and teased new music. On March 30, they performed "Patience" and a new song, "Borderline", on Saturday Night Live.

2019: "Be Above It" featured in movie Waves

In 2019, the song "Be Above It", the first track on the album Lonerism, is featured in the movie Waves. This includes the studio version, the live version from the Live Versions album and the "Erol Alkan Rework" version.

February 2020: Tame Impala releases "The Slow Rush"

On February 14, 2020, Tame Impala released their fourth studio album, "The Slow Rush", featuring 12 tracks recorded in Los Angeles and Fremantle, Australia.

February 2020: The Slow Rush album release

On February 14, 2020, Tame Impala released their fourth studio album, The Slow Rush, which received further praise from music critics. At the 2020 ARIA Music Awards, Tame Impala won five awards.

March 2020: "The Less I Know the Better" voted #1 in Triple J's Hottest 100 of the Decade

On March 14, 2020, "The Less I Know the Better" was voted number one in Triple J's Hottest 100 of the Decade, marking Tame Impala's highest ranking in a Hottest 100 Countdown.

March 2020: Parker appears on The Weeknd's album After Hours

On March 20, 2020, Parker produced and provided background vocals on "Repeat After Me (Interlude)" from The Weeknd's album After Hours. Tame Impala also won five ARIA Music Awards in November for The Slow Rush.

March 2021: "Elephant" covered by The Wiggles

In March 2021, The Wiggles covered Tame Impala's 2012 song "Elephant" for triple j's Like a Version, and their version reached number one in 2021's Hottest 100.

October 2021: Deluxe box set edition of The Slow Rush announced

In October 2021, Tame Impala announced the release of a deluxe box set edition of The Slow Rush in February 2022.

February 2022: The Slow Rush B-Sides and Remixes released

In February 2022, Tame Impala released The Slow Rush B-Sides and Remixes.

May 2022: Tame Impala and Diana Ross release "Turn Up the Sunshine"

In May 2022, Tame Impala and Diana Ross released the single "Turn Up the Sunshine", the lead single from the Minions: The Rise of Gru soundtrack album.

August 2022: Tame Impala featured on Gorillaz's "New Gold"

In August 2022, Tame Impala was featured on the song "New Gold" by Gorillaz.

March 2023: Tame Impala releases "Wings of Time" for Dungeons & Dragons movie

In March 2023, Tame Impala released "Wings of Time" for the movie Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves.

April 2023: Tame Impala collaborates with Thundercat on "No More Lies"

In April 2023, Tame Impala collaborated with Thundercat, releasing "No More Lies". He assisted in songwriting, and provided guitar, vocals, drums, and keyboards.

July 2023: Tame Impala releases "Journey to the Real World" for Barbie movie

In July 2023, Tame Impala released "Journey to the Real World" for the movie Barbie, included as part of the soundtrack album Barbie the Album.

January 2024: Tame Impala collaborates with Justice on "One Night/All Night"

In January 2024, Tame Impala collaborated with Justice on the single "One Night/All Night" for their album Hyperdrama.

April 2024: Tame Impala on "Neverender" and production work on Dua Lipa's album

In April 2024, Tame Impala appeared on another song, "Neverender" on Justice's album Hyperdrama and co-wrote and produced Dua Lipa's third studio album, Radical Optimism.

May 2024: Sony Music Publishing purchases Tame Impala's catalog

On May 15, 2024, Sony Music Publishing acquired Tame Impala's catalog from Parker for an undisclosed sum, including all previous and future works.

2024: Work begins on fifth Tame Impala album

In mid-2024, Parker revealed that work on Tame Impala's fifth album had begun and that he was excited about its progress. He also reassured fans on Instagram with images of him at work in his studio.

March 2025: Parker appeared on Dua Lipa's Radical Optimism Tour as special guest

On March 28, 2025, Parker appeared on Dua Lipa's Radical Optimism Tour as special guest performing "The Less I Know The Better" in her segment playing local songs.