Tame Impala
Lost In Yesterday
Island
Lost in Yesterday is the latest in a stream of appetite-whetting Tame Impala singles, all to be featured on their upcoming fourth LP, The Slow Rush. They’ve all retained the psych disco sheen of 2015’s defining Currents, but lyrically we’re seeing an increasingly mature and introspective Kevin Parker. Recent single Posthumous Forgiveness was a truly affecting ballad about reflecting on an friend who has passed and letting go of past grievances. Last year’s Borderline was about drifting in and dropping out in LA, and pop rocker It Might Be Time addressed the topic of growing older.
Lost in Yesterday carries that same introspective flame. In classic Tame Impala fashion it balances melancholy against optimism. In this case we battle nostalgia, as Parker voices the temptation to look back on life with rose-coloured glasses with the inspired opening lines of “When we were livin’ in squalor, wasn’t it Heaven?”.
In a song that turns out to be a remarkably wholesome psychedelic PSA, Parker encourages us to acknowledge past positives but also keep our head firmly planted on what lies ahead. The pre-chorus mantra of, “So if they call you, embrace them/ If they hold you, erase them” is at risk of being preachy, but the vocal hook is so strong that you can’t help but be drawn in. Musically the song also balances sad and hopeful, with a beautiful bouncing bassline and an uplifting chorus balanced out by Parker’s wistful vocals. The song also features a swirling synth line that is my musical highlight of the year thus far.
This is a great pop track and builds an ever-growing case for The Slow Rush as the album of the season come February 14.
MATIJA ZIVKOVIC
