Albums to watch

The Slow Rush

Tame Impala

The Slow Rush

Fourth album from the Australian psych-rock outfit produced by frontman Kevin Parker

ADM rating[?]

7.6

Label
Fiction
UK Release date
14/02/2020
US Release date
14/02/2020
  1. 10.0 |   The Arts Desk

    There’s something so satisfying about hearing someone trust their instincts and push their boundaries
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  2. 9.0 |   All Music

    The Slow Rush is the final nail in the coffin as far as Tame Impala being a guitar rock band goes; the psychedelia is more diffuse now, softer and more likely to bring a tear with a lyrical turn or a synth wash instead of raising goose bumps with wild guitars
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  3. 9.0 |   Earbuddy

    It will almost certainly be the most polished and perfect album of the year. Rush forth and feed it to your ears
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  4. 9.0 |   Northern Transmissions

    The Slow Rush returns the form to its roots, while also managing to look ahead. It’s the kind of balancing act that usually only takes place in the back row of sixth period algebra classes
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  5. 9.0 |   The Music

    As the contrasting title suggests, The Slow Rush lyrically encapsulates everyday anxieties, pressures and fears within a slow-burning pool of synth waves, thick basslines and dynamic vocals
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  6. 8.0 |   DIY

    It might make a star of its funk-heavy basslines, but there’s an ever- present underlying sadness here too
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  7. 8.0 |   Pitchfork

    On his fourth album, Kevin Parker takes a breath and eases into a smoother psychedelic sound. Even without the adrenaline-filled highs, the compositions are as rich and thoughtful as ever
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  8. 8.0 |   The Skinny

    The Slow Rush is a partial reinvention of the Tame Impala sound, with Kevin Parker arranging vast soundscapes shaded with a human touch
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  9. 8.0 |   XS Noize

    It might not be 5 years until we next hear from Tame Impala, but Parker isn’t worried about that – whatever comes, he’s facing into the future with something akin to cautious optimism, still searching, having made his most ambitious record yet
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  10. 8.0 |   Evening Standard

    Parker is clearly still working it all out, but with this release, he has taken a superbly assured forward step
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  11. 8.0 |   The Guardian

    Perth’s disco dork returns after a four-year hiatus with an album that finds existential meaning in genre-surfing dance music
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  12. 8.0 |   The Independent

    While Parker might be facing up to the ageing process, it certainly sounds like he’s enjoying himself
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  13. 8.0 |   NME

    Tame Impala’s first album in five years sees them move away from guitars and into mega-pop songwriting. The results are exhilarating
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  14. 8.0 |   musicOMH

    It’s amazing how true auteurs constantly shift their attention, shift their style, but always retain a razor-sharp focus on the artistic integrity of their projects. Kevin Parker is a true auteur, an artist who has moulded pop music to match his incredible vision
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  15. 8.0 |   Clash

    ‘The Slow Rush’ is testament to the patient productivity and unrelenting creativity of Kevin Parker
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  16. 8.0 |   Q

    One of the chiefs pleasure to be had from The Slow Rush is the sheer depth of sonic treats packed into each song. Print edition only

  17. 8.0 |   Mojo

    Rewards of taking time; Kevin Parker is an artist worthy of yours. Print edition only

  18. 8.0 |   Uncut

    He has risen to the occasion with an album full of the necessary girth and scope, which doesn't succumb to the forces of inertia
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  19. 8.0 |   PopMatters

    Another masterpiece for Tame Impala, cover-to-cover. You know it's the band the instant the music begins, and yet the album feels both new and necessary
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  20. 8.0 |   Loud And Quiet

    Painstakingly fine-tuned in the studio, The Slow Rush provides Tame Impala with the punch needed for stadium tours while still meaningfully evolving a complex, liquid sound
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  21. 8.0 |   The FT

    Kevin Parker’s fourth album has a relaxed groove, bright melodies and tremendous attention to detail
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  22. 8.0 |   The Observer

    Kevin Parker shifts further away from his psych rock roots, while pondering happiness and his continued relevance
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  23. 8.0 |   No Ripcord

    At 58 minutes, it does run a little long—and I probably would’ve cut songs like On Track or the two-minute flatliner Glimmer. But every time I’ve started this album since it clicked with me, I’ve finished it. Isn’t that the most you can ask of any record?
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  24. 8.0 |   God Is In The TV

    Takes their distinctive-yet-unrestricted take on psychedelic rock to new and enjoyable levels
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  25. 8.0 |   Vinyl Chapters

    He has clearly tried to broaden the projects sound and direction, and in The Slow Rush are bright, bright, stars that more than overwhelm any negatives mixed amongst them
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  26. 7.6 |   Sputnik Music (staff)

    It’s not as pristine as previous entries, but it certainly holds up Tame Impala’s incredible reputation
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  27. 7.5 |   Consequence Of Sound

    Kevin Parker reminds us to slow down and take on our troubles one at a time
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  28. 7.5 |   The Line Of Best Fit

    While lacking the convention-breaching identity of Currents, Tame Impala commits to a formula that will undoubtedly guarantee heavy rotation – an album sporting plenty of standouts and very little filler
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  29. 7.5 |   Under The Radar

    It is immaculate music, loaded with little side roads and detours, and I will listen to it probably hundreds of times, but there’s that little something missing, that dagger to my chest, that shiver up my spine that I thought would hit me long before now
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  30. 7.0 |   Rolling Stone

    Psychedelic-pop conjurer Kevin Parker opens up his massive bag of sonic tricks
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  31. 7.0 |   Paste Magazine

    Tame Impala return like you’ve never heard them before
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  32. 6.8 |   Gig Soup

    By its second track, Kevin Parker promises "I'm about to do something crazy"; the album not only doesn't, but proceeds to give an hour of expensive, polished soundscapes that never dare to be groundbreaking. The result is meticulous but lacks edge
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  33. 6.5 |   Spectrum Culture

    The Slow Rush is a show of Tame Impala adapting to unfathomable success
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  34. 6.0 |   NOW

    Kevin Parker has said he has ambitions to be the psychedelic Max Martin, but his new album could use more memorable hooks and melodies
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  35. 6.0 |   Crack

    The Slow Rush borders on pastiche at times, but it makes a successful pitch for festival headline slots and Instagrammable mornings after
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  36. 6.0 |   Exclaim

    This album will be fantastic at your next backyard barbecue. It's upbeat, fashionable and sounds great in the background when you're only half paying attention. Rather than seizing his moment in the spotlight, Parker sounds like he's just enjoying the journey
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  37. 6.0 |   The Irish Times

    The Slow Rush exists within a confusing pop palace, with the really interesting flourishes leaving by the back door, on their way to the dusty old shed out the back
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  38. 5.8 |   A.V. Club

    Parker’s long-awaited Currents follow-up, The Slow Rush, isn’t quite as interesting as its predecessors in terms of songwriting and production, and this gap makes Parker’s lyrical weaknesses more challenging to ignore
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  39. 5.4 |   Beats Per Minute

    The deeper you dive into everything wrong with The Slow Rush, the more you’re convinced that you’re being transported into a failing Urban Outfitters outlet on the brink of closing its doors
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  40. 4.0 |   The Quietus

    For those that need a bit of background music The Slow Rush is a competent record, but it’s impossible to actively listen to it for a prolonged period of time without despairing
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