Fresh from scooping up three awards at the 27th Annual ARIA Awards on Sunday, Tame Impala linchpin Kevin Parker has discussed new material from his Perth psych rock cosmonauts.
The prolific 27-year-old songwriter confirms that a third studio album is in the works, saying that the next slice of Tame Impala will be the musical equivalent of a margherita pizza.
“I’m gonna try to make it a bit more minimal this time; only use what’s needed,” Parker told Triple J presenter Lindsay ‘The Doctor’ McDougall in an interview this week, comparing the album to the lush production of Lonerism.
“Instead of a supreme pizza, where you just throw everything on, it’s kind of just gonna be like a margherita. I don’t want to over-fill it,” he says.
To that end, new material will also hopefully take less time to prepare, with the multi-instrumentalist and producer explaining that he’s aiming to change his recording methodology, and spend less time in the studio.
“I record every day, and I’m trying to stop myself [from doing that],” Parker continues. “I like the idea that I could wait until I’m in a situation where I could do it [all] in a month. This time I don’t wanna spend two years every day doing it. It did my brain in. It worked out for the best, or whatever, but I want to preserve my sanity.”
Lonerism certainly did work out for the best for Parker and co. – most recently earning the West Australian gongs for Best Rock Album, Album of the Year, and Best Group at this year’s ARIA Awards, filling their trophy cabinet further after earning four statuettes at the 2013 WAM Awards last month.
Earlier this year however, around the time of forming a special one-off side-project for charity, Parker indicated he was in no rush to release the follow-up to the critically and commercially acclaimed Lonerism.
“Right now, doing another album doesn’t excite me. There’s something narrow-minded about thinking an album is the only way you can put out music, especially in the world we’re in at the moment,” said Parker back in July. “Anything is possible. There’s so many people doing interesting things with the internet and technology, there could be so many ways of making music and listening to it.” (Maybe Parker could even hit up Domino’s Brazil and make that ‘margherita pizza’ statement a reality).
On the touring front, Tame Impala have finished up international dates with fellow psychedelic rockers The Flaming Lips – including recording a limited edition split vinyl EP with Wayne Coyne and his fearless freaks in which the two groups recorded covers of each others’ material – and the Tame Impala’s next live shows in Australia will be as part of the Big Day Out 2014 lineup next January.
Listen to Kevin Parker’s full interview with Triple J below.
