Tame Impala is a psychedelic music project spearheaded by Australian multi-instrumentalist Kevin Parker, who single-handedly writes, records, performs, and produces all of their studio music. Their live performances expand to include Dominic Simper, Jay Watson, Cam Avery, and Julien Barbagallo. The group has deep ties with another Australian psychedelic band, Pond, sharing both members and collaborators. Signed to Interscope Records in the US and Fiction Records in the UK, they were originally signed with Modular Recordings.
2007: Conception of Tame Impala
In 2007, Kevin Parker conceived Tame Impala as a project in Perth, Australia.
2007: Emergence of Tame Impala
In 2007, Tame Impala emerged as a home-recording project by Kevin Parker in the Perth music scene.
July 2008: Signing with Modular Recordings
In July 2008, Tame Impala signed a worldwide deal with independent label Modular Recordings. This followed the interest generated from Kevin Parker's home-recordings posted on Myspace.
September 2008: Release of Self-Titled EP
In September 2008, Tame Impala released their self-titled EP. It reached the number 1 position on the Australian Independent Record Labels (AIR) Chart and number 10 on the ARIA Physical Singles Chart.
2008: 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 Performances
In 2008, Tame Impala supported acts such as You Am I, The Black Keys, Yeasayer, and MGMT. They also performed at festivals like Southbound, Meredith Music Festival, and Falls Festival.
2008: Allbrook's First Gig with Tame Impala
Nick Allbrook played his first gig with Tame Impala in 2008 at Perth's Belvoir Ampitheatre.
March 2009: Recording of 'Sundown Syndrome'
In March 2009, Tame Impala recorded their debut single 'Sundown Syndrome' at Toerag Studios in London with recording engineer Liam Watson.
May 2009: Premiere of 'Sundown Syndrome'
On 10 May 2009, Tame Impala's 'Sundown Syndrome' was premiered by Richard Kingsmill on his '2009' show on Triple J.
July 2009: Release of 'Sundown Syndrome'
In July 2009, Tame Impala released 'Sundown Syndrome' on vinyl and digitally with a cover of 'Remember Me' by DJ Blue Boy.
August 2009: Rottofest Performance
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 October 2009, Tame Impala embarked on a national tour in support of their single 'Remember Me', which appeared at number 78 on Triple J's Hottest 100 for 2009.
2009: Tours and Performances
In 2009, Tame Impala conducted a sold-out six-date 'Skeleton Tiger' national headline tour and a five-date UK tour. They also performed at V Festival.
May 2010: Innerspeaker Album Tour
In mid-2010, Tame Impala commenced the Innerspeaker album tour, starting on 13 May 2010 as the opening act for MGMT's 2010 American tour. The band returned to Australia to play at Splendour in the Grass festival, followed by a European Tour in July and a national Australian tour in October. They also received four 2010 ARIA Music Awards nominations.
May 2010: Release of Innerspeaker
On 21 May 2010, Tame Impala released their debut album, Innerspeaker. The album was praised by critics and named Best New Music by Pitchfork.
November 2010: J Award for Album of the Year
On 29 November 2010, Tame Impala's Innerspeaker won Triple J's highest honor, the J Award for Album of the Year.
2010: Big Day Out Festival
In early 2010, Tame Impala performed at the Australian/New Zealand Big Day Out festival alongside bands such as Muse, The Mars Volta, Kasabian, and Rise Against.
2010: Release of Innerspeaker
In 2010, Tame Impala released their debut studio album, Innerspeaker. The album was certified gold in Australia and well received by critics.
July 2012: Release of 'Elephant'
On 26 July 2012, Tame Impala released 'Elephant', the first single from their second album Lonerism. The album was later released in October 2012 and described as the best album of the year by StillinRock.
September 2012: Feature in The FADER
In September 2012, Tame Impala appeared on the cover of The FADER magazine for the first time in its 82nd issue.
November 2012: J Award for Lonerism
In November 2012, Tame Impala's Lonerism won the J Award for Australian Album of the Year. This marked the second time the band had won the award, the first being for their debut album Innerspeaker in 2010.
2012: Collaboration with The Flaming Lips on "Children of the Moon"
Tame Impala collaborated with The Flaming Lips on the track "Children of the Moon" for the collaborative album "The Flaming Lips and Heady Fwends" in 2012.
2012: "Elephant" Release
Tame Impala released the song "Elephant" as part of their album "Lonerism" in 2012.
2012: Release of Lonerism
In 2012, Tame Impala released their second album, Lonerism, which was mixed by Dave Fridmann and featured more emotional songwriting and a pronounced narrative perspective. The album was created mostly by Kevin Parker at his home in Perth, Australia, with parts recorded in his home studio in France.
2012: International Tour
In 2012, Tame Impala began an international tour through 2013, supported by The Growl. They played major festivals like Coachella and Sasquatch Festival and appeared on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.
January 2013: Rolling Stone Album of the Year
In January 2013, Lonerism was selected by Rolling Stone as the Album of the Year for 2012. The album also received similar accolades from NME, Triple J, and other publications.
May 2013: Parker Expresses Lack of Excitement for Another Album
In May 2013, Kevin Parker expressed a lack of excitement for creating another album right away, emphasizing the diverse possibilities of making and sharing music beyond the traditional album format.
May 2013: Allbrook Leaves Tame Impala
In May 2013, founding member Nick Allbrook departed from Tame Impala to pursue other musical endeavors. His final performance with the band was at Perth's Belvoir Ampitheatre, the same venue as his first gig with them in 2008.
December 2013: Grammy Nomination for "Lonerism"
In December 2013, Tame Impala's album "Lonerism" received a Grammy Award nomination in the Best Alternative Music Album category.
2013: Parker Explores New Musical Possibilities
In 2013, Kevin Parker expressed his openness to exploring new musical possibilities beyond the traditional album format, embracing the potential of the internet and technology.
2013: International Tour
In 2013, Tame Impala continued their international tour, playing major festivals and making television appearances.
May 2014: Parker Discusses New Album's Minimalistic Sound
In May 2014, Kevin Parker revealed his vision for a more minimalistic sound on Tame Impala's third album, drawing inspiration from Fleetwood Mac's clean and pure sound.
2014: Recording of Third Album Begins
Kevin Parker began recording the follow-up album to "Lonerism" at the beginning of 2014 at the Wave House in Western Australia, inspired by his work with Tame Impala and other projects like AAA Aardvark Getdown Services.
March 2015: "Let It Happen" Released as Free Download
In March 2015, Tame Impala released the song "Let It Happen" as a free download.
April 2015: Parker Reveals Financial Disputes
During a Reddit AMA in April 2015, Kevin Parker revealed that he had not received any royalties from Tame Impala's international record sales due to financial mismanagement.
April 2015: "Currents" Album Cover and Singles Released
In April 2015, Tame Impala unveiled the album cover for "Currents" and released the singles "'Cause I'm a Man", "Let It Happen", and "Disciples".
May 2015: "Eventually" Release and "Currents" Release Date Announcement
On May 7, 2015, Tame Impala released "Eventually", the third single from "Currents." The band also announced a July 17, 2015 release date for the album.
July 2015: Release of Currents
In July 2015, Tame Impala released their third album, Currents. The album received critical acclaim and earned ARIA Awards for Best Rock Album and Album of the Year.
July 2015: "Currents" Released
Tame Impala released their album "Currents" on July 17, 2015, which went on to become their best-selling record.
2015: "The Less I Know the Better" Places Fourth in Hottest 100
"The Less I Know the Better" by Tame Impala was ranked fourth in Triple J's Hottest 100 in 2015.
2016: APRA Award for Song of the Year
In 2016, Kevin Parker won the APRA Award for Song of the Year for the track 'Let It Happen' from the album Currents.
October 2017: "Currents" Collector's Edition Announced
In October 2017, Tame Impala announced a collector's edition of "Currents," featuring bonus tracks and remixes, to be released the following month.
2017: 2018 Festival Appearances Announced
Tame Impala agreed to play at the 2018 Mad Cool Festival in Spain at the end of 2017.
July 2018: Parker Confirms New Album in Progress
Kevin Parker confirmed in a July 2018 interview that he had begun working on a new Tame Impala album and aimed to release it by summer 2019. He also shared his interest in headlining Glastonbury Festival in 2019.
July 2018: "My Life" Collaboration with ZHU
Tame Impala and electronic artist ZHU released their collaborative single "My Life" on July 1, 2018.
July 2018: Tame Impala Headlines Citadel Festival
Tame Impala headlined London's Citadel Festival in July 2018.
October 2018: Parker Performs with Travis Scott on "SNL"
Kevin Parker played bass for Travis Scott's performance of "Skeletons/Astrothunder" on Saturday Night Live in October 2018, alongside John Mayer.
January 2019: Coachella Headliner Announcement and Album Release Plans
Tame Impala was announced as a headliner for the 2019 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in January of that year. Parker also shared his expectations of releasing a new album in the summer.
March 2019: "Patience" Release and "SNL" Performance
Tame Impala released "Patience," a single from their upcoming album, in March 2019. They performed "Patience" and a new song, "Borderline," on Saturday Night Live.
2019: Parker Aims for Summer Release and Glastonbury Performance
Kevin Parker expressed his hope to release a new Tame Impala album by summer 2019 and perform at Glastonbury Festival that year.
2019: "Be Above It" Featured in "Waves"
In 2019, Tame Impala's song "Be Above It" was featured in the movie "Waves", including the studio version, a live version, and the "Erol Alkan Rework" version.
February 2020: Release of The Slow Rush
On 14 February 2020, Tame Impala released their fourth studio album, The Slow Rush. At the 2020 ARIA Music Awards, the band won five awards.
February 2020: "The Slow Rush" Album Release
Tame Impala released their fourth studio album, "The Slow Rush," on February 14, 2020, featuring 12 tracks recorded in Los Angeles and Fremantle, Australia.
March 2020: Parker Collaborates on The Weeknd's "After Hours"
Kevin Parker contributed production and background vocals to the track "Repeat After Me (Interlude)" on The Weeknd's album "After Hours" in March 2020.
March 2020: "The Less I Know the Better" Tops Triple J's Hottest 100 of the Decade
Tame Impala's song "The Less I Know the Better" reached number one on Triple J's Hottest 100 of the Decade in March 2020, marking their highest ranking and first number-one spot on any Hottest 100 list.
2020: Primavera Sound Headliner
Tame Impala headlined the Primavera Sound festival in 2020, becoming the second Australian act to do so.
March 2021: "Elephant" Covered by The Wiggles
In March 2021, children's music group The Wiggles covered Tame Impala's song "Elephant" for triple j's Like a Version segment.
October 2021: Deluxe Box Set Announcement
In October 2021, Tame Impala announced a deluxe box set edition of their album "The Slow Rush", set to release in February 2022.
February 2022: Release of "The Slow Rush B-Sides and Remixes"
In February 2022, Tame Impala released "The Slow Rush B-Sides and Remixes".
February 2022: Release of "The Slow Rush" Deluxe Box Set
Tame Impala released the deluxe box set edition of their album "The Slow Rush" in February 2022.
May 2022: Release of "Turn Up the Sunshine"
Tame Impala and Diana Ross collaborated on the single "Turn Up the Sunshine", released in May 2022 for the movie "Minions: The Rise of Gru".
August 2022: Feature on Gorillaz's "New Gold"
Tame Impala was featured on Gorillaz's song "New Gold", released in August 2022.
March 2023: Release of "Wings of Time"
Tame Impala released "Wings of Time" for the movie "Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves" in March 2023.
April 2023: Collaboration and Release of "No More Lies" with Thundercat
In April 2023, Tame Impala collaborated with Thundercat on the song "No More Lies", contributing to its songwriting and instrumentation.
July 2023: Release of "Journey to the Real World"
Tame Impala released "Journey to the Real World" for the movie "Barbie" in July 2023, as part of the soundtrack album "Barbie the Album".
January 2024: Collaboration with Justice on "One Night/All Night"
Tame Impala collaborated with Justice on their single "One Night/All Night" in January 2024, later appearing on their album "Hyperdrama".
April 2024: Appearance on Justice's "Hyperdrama" Album
Tame Impala appeared on Justice's album "Hyperdrama" on the song "Neverender", released in April 2024.