Since its 2010 debut, Tame Impala has been one of the biggest names in underground rock, garnering a cult fanbase and huge critical acclaim. But in the past decade, the Kevin Parker-led outfit has leveled up commercially to playing arenas, headlining festivals — and now even scoring crossover pop hits.
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Tame Impala’s fifth album Deadbeat debuts at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 this week — one off the No. 3 peak for the project’s best-charting album, 2020 predecessor The Slow Rush — while landing three songs on the Billboard Hot 100, led by the pulsing “Dracula” at No. 33. But while the commercial returns have been impressive, the critics have been less impressed, and fans seem divided on the clubbier, less-guitar-driven set.
How did Tame Impala manage such first-time Hot 100 success so deep into its career? And do we think the criticism of the set is fair? Billboard staffers discuss these questions and more below.
1. Tame Impala’s Deadbeat debuts at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 with 70,000 in first-week units. Are those numbers higher, lower or about what you would have expected for it?
Katie Bain: Speaking less to the number itself and more to what it cut through to land this No. 4 position, I think we’ve got to consider it a pretty big win that Deadbeat was able to hold its own among new-ish albums by Taylor Swift, Sabrina Carpenter and Cardi B, along with the apparently indefatigable projects like the KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack and Morgan Wallen’s I’m the Problem. If I’m Kevin Parker, I’m feeling good right now.
Eric Renner Brown: The No. 4 debut is about what I would have expected. Granted, Tame Impala’s last two albums – 2015’s Currents and 2020’s The Slow Rush – debuted at Nos. 4 and 3, respectively, and the band went from headlining theaters to headlining arenas and festivals in that intervening decade (not to mention receiving a Rihanna co-sign and working with Dua Lipa). But something about the phrase “Tame Impala Billboard 200 No. 1” just sounds weird. It’s tough to be too disappointed finishing behind Taylor Swift, Kpop Demon Hunters and Morgan Wallen.
Kyle Denis: This is around what I expected. Post-Currents, Tame Impala’s profile has grown significantly, so I expected Deadbeat to at least match that album’s first week. Nonetheless, the electronic bent of Deadbeat has proven relatively divisive among fans, which would account for a smaller first-week total than 2020’s The Slow Rush.
Josh Glicksman: It’s in the ballpark of what I would have expected. It’s largely in line with what has been the norm for the psych-pop project over the past decade — Currents reached No. 4 on the Billboard 200 in 2015; The Slow Rush hit a career best No. 3 in 2020. Predictably, it’s another success on wax, becoming Tame Impala’s third consecutive full-length to debut at No. 1 the Top Vinyl Albums chart. Given that Deadbeat contains some of his most popular hits (from a commercial standpoint, at least) I could have seen that first-week total creeping a touch higher, but it’s not anything shocking to me.
Andrew Unterberger: Around what I expected. Mostly, I’m kinda stunned to look back and see that The Slow Rush had a six-digit first week, since in my memory that album had a much more tepid initial reception back in early 2020. (Perhaps it just seems that way in retrospect because the whole world shut down almost immediately afterwards.)
2. Meanwhile, the album now has three Billboard Hot 100 hits — the first three of Tame Impala’s career — led by “Dracula” at No. 33 this week. What do you think is the biggest reason behind the outfit’s newfound Hot 100 success after 15 years of recording?
Katie Bain: I’m sure there are more reasons than this, but it’s not like Tame Impala has been totally absent over the past few years. He was a huge part of Justice’s “Neverender,” which also gave that duo some of the biggest chart successes of its career thus far. It’s plausible that that song and its ubiquity arguably created a groundswell of new and/or regenerated interest in Tame Impala, especially a dance-focused project from Tame Impala. I suspect that a lot of the Justice fans jumped on Deadbeat and helped delivered it to this level of success.
Eric Renner Brown: These three Hot 100 hits are among the poppiest, danciest tracks that Tame Impala has ever released. But moreso, this is the culmination of Kevin Parker’s decadelong drift to the center of the pop music universe. Since The Slow Rush, Tame Impala has continued to bring its music to the masses, and the project now represents a certain flavor of in-the-know cool that attracts ravers, stoners, popheads and everyone in between. Tame Impala’s tent is a big one, and it makes sense that this broad audience connected with some of the most accessible Tame music to date.
Kyle Denis: I think it’s a combination of “Dracula” being a radio-friendly three-minute song that’s in line with top 40’s recent dance inclinations, the long-tail impact of Rihanna’s 2016 “Same Ol’ Mistakes” cover (the mainstream’s guardian angel of cool gave her seal of approval to the “indie” symbol of cool) and Tame Impala’s graduation to the kind of live act that can play three arena dates in the same city on its latest tour. Tame Impala never really lost its cool factor over the past 15 years, and now it’s reaping the benefits of remaining that signifier for a generation of consumers that values aesthetics above pretty much anything else.
Josh Glicksman: I don’t know that there’s always a cut-and-dried answer to these sorts of things. Sometimes an act just finds the right pocket of momentum on streaming services. That said, I would point to how prevalent Kevin Parker has been in working with A-listers in recent years, and particularly to his intensive behind-the-scenes efforts on Dua Lipa’s Radical Optimism. Of course, collaborating with star-studded artists is nothing new for him, but it’s totally plausible to me that the exposure he got from producing such a large chunk of that album unlocked a totally new group of fans — and one that knows how to launch hits up the charts.
Andrew Unterberger: A less-competitive streaming market in recent weeks certainly helps, but clearly Tame Impala has been majorly embraced by streaming audiences — basically, younger audiences — in a way folks probably never would’ve guessed when the band was best known for its psychedelic guitar-rock mini-epics. Kevin Parker & Co. have been close to making this leap for a long while now, and the catchy, lightly spooky “Dracula” is the right song at the right time to put them over the top.
3. Does “Dracula” seem like a long-lasting breakout hit to you, or do you think its performance will recede along with the momentum from the new album release?
Katie Bain: “Dracula” is a groovy little butt-shaker, but I don’t think it’s the best song on the album or even the best Tame Impala song on the Hot 100 right now. For me that’s “My Old Ways,” which enters this week at No. 56 and is probably my favorite song on Deadbeat. I’ll be curious to see how the chart success of these two ultimately compare. “Dracula” has the catchier melody, but I don’t necessarily see it becoming part of the Tame Impala canon.
Eric Renner Brown: Along with “Loser,” “Dracula” is the catchiest song on Deadbeat. It’s also the most Tame Impala song on Deadbeat – something that would be legible to a Currents-obsessed time traveler from 2015. Will those factors make for an enduring chart hit? Time will tell, though radio promotion and the just-begun Tame Impala tour will likely continue to give this song juice. So will its savvy timing: props to Parker and his team for releasing an earworm of a single named after the most famous vampire just as spooky season ramped up.
Eric Renner Brown: As someone who has been a Tame fan dating back to its 2010 debut, Innerspeaker, I feel comfortable saying that Deadbeat is the weakest entry in its catalog to date. But, in a sterling catalog that ranks with the best of the last 15 years, “weakest” shouldn’t be conflated with “bad.” Deadbeat is a fine album where Parker tries out some new things – always commendable for an artist of his prominence.
I think critics have been cold toward Deadbeat for a few reasons. For one, many rock critics have long yearned for the band to return to its days as a true psych-rock group; over the weekend, Parker posted screenshots of a review of Currents, Tame’s first true foray into dance-adjacent music that’s now widely considered a classic, that’s strikingly similar in tone to the critiques of Deadbeat. Another driver: Tame Impala is far from the first critical darling to have the music press turn against it once it cultivates a bigger audience and more widespread popularity. It’s also possible that Parker’s amalgam of psych-rock and dance music has deterred each genre’s most intense fans – it’s not psych-rock enough for the psych-rockers and it’s not dance-fluent enough for the dance purists.
Kyle Denis: I think it’s a lasting hit. The song was already steadily gaining traction across socials prior to the album’s release, and between the full project’s availability and the ongoing Deadbeat Tour, “Dracula” should stick around on the Hot 100 for at least a few more weeks until the holiday songs start creeping in.
Josh Glicksman: Really depends how you define long-lasting! I do see it sticking around on the Hot 100 at least until the usual surge of holiday hits take over the chart. It’s a fun song and one that can very easily plant firm roots at alternative radio — and I wouldn’t be surprised to see it cross over to a top 40 format, either. Do I think it’s a breakout hit in the sense that it’s ever going to be a top two or three song during his live set? Perhaps not. But commercially, I think this will have its fangs sunk into the charts for a lengthy bite of time.
Andrew Unterberger: Yeah, this song is gonna be around for a while — not “Lose Control” a while, certainly, but it’s not gonna just drop off in the next few weeks. And just wait till it gets the Halloween weekend bump in a couple chart weeks!
4. While Tame Impala has never had more of a chart presence, its mainstream popularity seems almost inversely related to its critical acclaim, which is possibly at its lowest point on this new album. Does the music feel lesser or compromised to you, or are the critics being unfair or just misunderstanding the new album?
Katie Bain: Quite a few critics really hate this album and have offered a plethora of well-reasoned arguments as to why. I’m reticent to say that anyone is misunderstanding, and I agree that if this album was attempting to reflect a facet of the underground dance scene, the results are fairly middle-of-the-road. But I often like middle-of-the-road, and I’m not offended by this album as an electronic music effort or otherwise. Would I like to see it go harder? For sure. Maybe there will be a remix album edition.
Kyle Denis: I think critics are being unfair and a bit grumpy. Yes, Deadbeat is a notable sonic shift from Tame Impala’s core sound, and, yes, the album is imperfect. But it’s still a mostly enjoyable listen that demands new things from Tame Impala listeners, which is something I’m never upset at an album for doing.
Josh Glicksman: I think there’s some unfair groupthink at play here from critics: the highest highs of Deadbeat may not reach the same ceilings as his past work, but by and large, the album is really solid and plenty in line with what fans have come to love about Tame Impala. Again, working so intensively on a project like Radical Optimism may have tilted this album in a more pop-leaning direction than prior work, but I certainly don’t think Parker made any compromises here worthy of hanging his head. Rising popularity can often initiate a footrace for who can be first to snub their nose; sometimes, it’s okay if the mainstream thing is also good!
Andrew Unterberger: Album rules, calm down everyone.
5. The release schedule has been conspicuously quiet in the past three weeks, as seemingly no one has been interested in trying to make an impression in a pop landscape still so thoroughly dominated by the new Taylor Swift album. Does this Tame Impala first-week performance show to you that some artists might actually benefit from dropping new stuff at this point? Or would it have done even better without being in Showgirl’s shadow?
Katie Bain: I mean, anything released in the same timeframe as a Swift album must innately be an exercise in managed expectations. But releasing around Life of a Showgirl is also an opportunity, given that other artists are just entirely avoiding dropping albums. Tame Impala was never going to win this matchup, but it follows logic that Deadbeat is doing as well as it is — given that, besides one giant competitor, the playing field is fairly empty. And I don’t think there’s necessarily a ton of crossover between Swift fans and Tame Impala fans, so Parker can corner his own sector of the market, as we’re seeing.
Eric Renner Brown: Tame Impala could’ve posted a career-best No. 3 debut if Swift wasn’t in the equation. Then again, in this alternate reality, another higher-profile artist might have released the same week as Tame, taking that top slot. Generally, I don’t think an artist like Tame Impala should worry too much about this type of gamesmanship. Tame Impala is huge, but still a fraction as popular as the world’s biggest pop acts, something I’d expect Parker understands and has come to terms with.
Kyle Denis: I’m not sure that there’s enough overlap between the T-Swift and Tame Impala fan bases for that to even matter. I think Deadbeat would have probably performed the same a few more weeks removed from Showgirl. I think records like Demi Lovato’s It’s Not That Deep would likely have performed a bit better outside of Showgirl’s shadow, since those two artists are fighting for a more similar sect of listeners than Swift and Tame Impala.
Josh Glicksman: Sure, steer clear of the same release date, but otherwise, I’d say there’s no reason to be shoving new releases back weeks and months. After all, new plans could easily be derailed by an unexpected surprise release, deluxe component, etc. It loosely reminds me of the success that “drivers license” had several years ago: What was long thought to be a no-fly zone at the very start of year following the holidays became an enormous opening for Olivia Rodrigo, and one that changed the thinking behind January releases. Less competition, more opportunity!
Andrew Unterberger: Personally, I think this is a very good time for rising pop artists to get in the mix — less pressure to deliver a top debut, and plenty of opportunity to grab attention from fans who are ready to move on (or at least temporarily be distracted) from all the Taylormania. Just ask Olivia Dean.
