Watch Tame Impala perform a remote Tiny Desk Concert | NME
Tame Impala is the latest artist to perform a set from home for NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert series, appearing on the program yesterday (August 24).
The musician, real name Kevin Parker, played ‘Breathe Deeper’ and ‘Is It True’ from his latest album ‘The Slow Rush’, as well as 2019 single ‘Patience’.
Joining Parker in his home studio were Jay Watson (aka GUM) and Dom Simper (aka bambi), who helped bring the tracks to life with the use of samplers and sequencers. Parker also jumped between equipment during the performance, demonstrating his chops as a multi-instrumentalist.
Watch the full concert below:
When initially brainstorming his idea for the set, Parker explained his vision to NPR’s Bobby Carter, referring to it as the “Tame Impala Soundsystem”.
“We’ll do this kind of electronic jam with heaps of equipment around us and we’ll recreate the songs with samplers and sequencers,” he said. “I’ve wanted to do something like this for a while and thought Tiny Desk would be the opportunity to do it.”
Parker’s highly-anticipated 2020 release ‘The Slow Rush’ earned a four-star review from NME, which called it “a 57-minute flex of every musical muscle in Kevin Parker’s body”. His first record since 2015’s ‘Currents’, NME praised ‘The Slow Rush’ for its overall cleanness, saying, “The production, sound design and creative instrumentation are genuinely outstanding throughout.”
Last Friday (August 21) Parker delivered again, this time releasing Four Tet‘s ambient remix of ‘Is It True’.
NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert series usually takes place in the NPR office, but performances have moved to an at-home format during the COVID-19 pandemic. Other artists to have appeared on the show include Moses Sumney performing songs from ‘græ’ and Tom Misch and Yussef Dayes with their collaborative album ‘What Kinda Music’.
