Deadbeat (Tame Impala album)

Last updated

Deadbeat
DeadbeatTameImpala.jpeg
Studio album by
Released17 October 2025 (2025-10-17)
Recorded2023–2025
Studio
Genre
Length56:05
Label Columbia
Producer Kevin Parker
Tame Impala chronology
The Slow Rush
(2020)
Deadbeat
(2025)
Singles from Deadbeat
  1. "End of Summer"
    Released: 25 July 2025
  2. "Loser"
    Released: 3 September 2025
  3. "Dracula"
    Released: 26 September 2025
  4. "My Old Ways"
    Released: 17 October 2025

Deadbeat is the fifth studio album by Tame Impala, the musical project of Australian multi-instrumentalist Kevin Parker. It was released on 17 October 2025 by Columbia Records, [1] [2] [3] preceded by the singles "End of Summer", "Loser" and "Dracula". [4] [5]

Contents

Background

While promoting his previous album The Slow Rush in a February 2020 interview, Parker mentioned that the next record would not take as long, saying that he has a "flourish of ideas". [6] In February 2022, he reconfirmed in an interview that he'll have "another Tame Impala album done sooner than what has been the pattern for me". [7] According to Parker, he started working on Deadbeat around 2023. [8] In March 2024, he posted a picture of himself in his recording studio with the caption "don't worry" hinting at his next album. [9] On 13 July 2025 he posted a picture on his Instagram showing a school board with thirteen tracks listed up in a table format. [10]

Ahead of the album's announcement, Parker completed sessions in Fremantle and at his Wave House studio in Injidup, Western Australia. [11] Statements promoting the album describe it as "deeply inspired by bush doof culture and the Western Australia rave scene." [2]

Promotion and release

Tame Impala formally announced Deadbeat on 4 September 2025 [1] [2] , following the release of the album's second single, "Loser," the day before. [11] The album was released worldwide on 17 October 2025 through Columbia Records.

Singles

On 18 July 2025, an unnamed 12-inch vinyl listing appeared on the Tame Impala webstore for pre-order. The release was later revealed to be the physical edition of "End of Summer", issued on 25 July 2025. Parker had first performed the song during a DJ set in Barcelona in early June 2025. [12]

The second single, "Loser", was teased when streaming service metadata for "End of Summer" briefly displayed fields replaced with the title "Loser". [4] Posters advertising a 3 September release date subsequently appeared in several cities, including Los Angeles and New York City. "Loser" was released on 3 September 2025 alongside a music video featuring actor-musician Joe Keery.

The third single, "Dracula", was released on 26 September 2025 following teasers on social media. [13] Parker described the track as one of the defining moments of the Deadbeat era. [14] [15] "Dracula" was written by Parker in collaboration with Sarah Aarons and produced by Parker, with a music video directed by Julian Klincewicz. [15]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic 75/100 [16]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [17]
Clash 5/10 [18]
Consequence B− [19]
The Guardian Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [20]
The Independent Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [21]
The Irish Times Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [22]
NME Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [23]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [24]
The Sydney Morning Herald Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [25]
The Times Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [26]

According to the review aggregator Metacritic , Deadbeat received "generally favorable reviews" based on a weighted average score of 75 out of 100 from seven critic scores. [16]

In a 6.5 out of 10 scored review, KTLA in Los Angeles reporter Russell Falcon opined the album captured elements of chillwave more than dance, writing that given that artists like Washed Out and, more recently, S.G. Lewis have managed to work within the genre's aesthetic "without sounding anonymous or reserved," Parker's soundscape only "almost works." Falcon highlighted "Piece of Heaven" and "Ethereal Connection" as the album's most successful cuts. [27]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Kevin Parker; "Dracula", "Oblivion", and "Afterthought" are co-written with Sarah Aarons.

Deadbeat track listing
No.TitleLength
1."My Old Ways"4:58
2."No Reply"3:35
3."Dracula"3:25
4."Loser"3:43
5."Oblivion"4:28
6."Not My World"4:14
7."Piece of Heaven"4:44
8."Obsolete"4:23
9."Ethereal Connection"7:42
10."See You On Monday (You're Lost)"3:34
11."Afterthought"4:01
12."End of Summer"7:12
Total length:56:05

Notes

Personnel

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes. [29]

References

  1. 1 2 "Tame Impala Announces New Album 'Deadbeat'". Stereogum. 4 September 2025. Retrieved 4 September 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 Corcoran, Nina (4 September 2025). "Tame Impala Announce New Album Deadbeat". Pitchfork. Retrieved 4 September 2025.
  3. Kreps, Daniel (4 September 2025). "Tame Impala Officially Announce New Album 'Deadbeat'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 4 September 2025.
  4. 1 2 "Tame Impala Single Credits Changed To "Loser" On Streaming Services". Stereogum. 20 August 2025. Archived from the original on 26 August 2025. Retrieved 4 September 2025.
  5. "Dracula. Friday. (Tame Impala on Facebook)". facebook.com. 22 September 2025. Retrieved 23 September 2025.
  6. "Tame Impala Takes On Time In 'The Slow Rush'". www.wbur.org. 26 February 2020. Retrieved 4 September 2025.
  7. Gallagher, Ali (15 February 2022). "Kevin Parker says the next Tame Impala album is coming "sooner than what has been the pattern for me"". NME. Retrieved 4 September 2025.
  8. triple j (4 September 2025). Tame Impala on new album 'Deadbeat', Joe Djo Keery, bush doofs & 10 years of 'Currents' | Interview . Retrieved 5 September 2025 via YouTube.
  9. "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 4 September 2025.
  10. "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 4 September 2025.
  11. 1 2 Garcia, Thania (4 September 2025). "Tame Impala to Release New Album 'Deadbeat' in October". Variety. Retrieved 4 September 2025.
  12. Ragusa, Paolo (9 June 2025). "Tame Impala debuts first new song in five years during Barcelona DJ set". Consequence. Retrieved 4 September 2025.
  13. "Dracula - Single By Tame Impala". Spotify. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
  14. Noise11.com (26 September 2025). "Tame Impala's Kevin Parker Sinks His Teeth Into New Single 'Dracula' Ahead of Deadbeat Album". Noise11.com. Retrieved 26 September 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  15. 1 2 "Tame Impala Releases New Song "Dracula"". pm studio world wide news (in Japanese). Retrieved 26 September 2025.
  16. 1 2 "Reviews for Deadbeat by Tame Impala". Metacritic . Retrieved 17 October 2025.
  17. Yeung, Neil Z. (17 October 2025). "Deadbeat - Tame Impala". AllMusic . Retrieved 17 October 2025.
  18. Singh, Karan (17 October 2025). "Tame Impala — Deadbeat". Clash . Retrieved 17 October 2025.
  19. Ragusa, Paolo (17 October 2025). "With Deadbeat, Tame Impala Gets Stuck in a Loop: Review". Consequence . Retrieved 17 October 2025.
  20. Petridis, Alexis (17 October 2025). "Tame Impala: Deadbeat review – 'bush doof' bangers can't hide how downbeat Kevin Parker seems to be". The Guardian . Retrieved 17 October 2025.
  21. Brown, Helen (17 October 2025). "Tame Impala review, Deadbeat – Imposter syndrome meets disco on this anxiety-riddled album". The Independent . Retrieved 17 October 2025.
  22. Power, Ed (17 October 2025). "Deadbeat, Tame Impala's new album, gets bogged down in angst". The Irish Times . Retrieved 17 October 2025.
  23. Peters, Daniel (17 October 2025). "Tame Impala – 'Deadbeat' review: lyrical inertia bogs down Kevin Parker's psych-rave meditation on adulthood". NME . Retrieved 17 October 2025.
  24. Dolan, Jon (17 October 2025). "Tame Impala Go Dancing in the Dark". Rolling Stone . Retrieved 17 October 2025.
  25. Potter, Benjamin (17 October 2025). "Tame Impala is back with his first new album in five years. So what is it like?". The Sydney Morning Herald . Retrieved 17 October 2025.
  26. Hodgkinson, Will (16 October 2025). "Tame Impala: Deadbeat review — the pop world's most wanted weirdo returns". The Times . Retrieved 18 October 2025.
  27. Falcon, Russell (18 October 2025). "REVIEW: Tame Impala's 'Deadbeat' is more chillwave than 'dance'". KTLA. Retrieved 18 October 2025.
  28. Brandle, Lars (28 September 2025). "Tame Impala Sinks Teeth In With 'Dracula,' Announces U.K. And Europe Tour". Billboard. Retrieved 30 September 2025.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  29. Deadbeat (Media notes). Tame Impala. Columbia Records. 17 October 2025.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)