Perth’s hugely popular psychedelic sons, Tame Impala, have released the third official single from their hugely acclaimed Lonerism, ‘Mind Mischief’ with the launch of a brand new video that features a “schoolboy’s fantasy sex romp with one particularly come-hither teacher.”
Interestingly the new video is co-produced by Urban Outfitters, but rather than feature the band members dressed up in the clothes retailers’ fancy duds, they’ve instead helped fund and produce the video, which features a boarding school lad imagining a tryst with his school teacher (both still impeccably dressed) that becomes an animated session of intercourse that soon descends into one very bad acid trip.
The cheeky video is the twelfth and latest instalment of Urban Outfitters’ Music Video Series, which has featured such bands as The Walkmen, Cloud Nothings, and How To Dress Well, and the latest from Tame Impala, following on from their animated video for ‘Feels Like We Only Go Backwards’, which is up for one of four categories the Aussie quartet are nominated for in the 2013 NME Awards.
The ‘Mind Mischief’ video comes from director David Wilson, who has done clips for Passion Pit and Metronomy previously, and says he was instant fan of the band after first hearing ‘Elephant’. “I went and bought Lonerism immediately off the strength of that one track and didn’t regret it,” says the director in an Urban Outfitters commissioned interview.
Tame Impala brainchild Kevin Parker says the idea for the new ‘hot for teacher’ video came form “one of our friends from Modular,” the band’s label. “We read the idea and thought it was pretty cool,” he says of the ‘Mind Mischief’ clip, which also has an accompanying making-of video feature.
“A usual school day/usual pace, and then a sex scene, deep in space.” – Kevin Parker, Tame ImpalaParker describes the video, in rhyming fashion, as: “A usual school day/usual pace, and then a sex scene, deep in space.” When asked what Tame Impala’s plans were for 2013, Parker replies: “I guess ‘touring’ wins that competition by default. I’d love to make a live album one day though. Maybe that’ll happen this year.”
‘Mind Mischief’ is taken from Tame Impala’s hugely acclaimed sophomore effort Lonerism, which is now certified Gold status in Australia after winning last year’s ‘Mad Props’ category in Tone Deaf’s end of year poll for its global domination, receiving glowing reviews from music media all year (including Tone Deaf), as well as experiencing enormous commercial sales to match in the UK and America.
Tame Impala were also the toast of English tastemakers NME, who named Lonerism as the best record of the year in their list of the Top 50 Albums of the Year, the first time an Australian act has managed to top the poll in its 38-year history; plus the band are up four awards in major categories in the 2013 NME Awards, including Best Album, Best International Band, Best Track, and Best Music Video.
In related news, two-fifths of Tame Impala’s lineup – Jay Watson and Nick Allbrook – are planning to keep their good fortunes kicking into 2013. With both gearing up to release not one, but two new albums from their other musical concern, Pond.
“We’ve got so many records in our bands,” Jay Watson told Tone Deaf in a recent interview, confirming that each member of the Perth collective will be releasing their own solo album in the coming months. “Joe [Ryan], the dude with the afro in Pond, me and him have decided we’re going to drop our albums at the same time, same day, which should be fun. And Allbrook/Avery – Nick and Cam’s band – are doing it as well.”
“We’re going to have an online poll,” Watson jokes, “me and Joe, ‘who’s album’s better and who’s more handsome’?”
