Tame Impala is the latest artist to perform a set from home for NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert series, where Kevin Parker mixed things up by introducing what he called “Tame Impala Soundsystem”, featuring Jay Watson and Dominic Simper.
Parker, who writes, produces and performs all songs for Tame Impala, enlisted touring band members Watson and Simper to perform electronic renditions of “Breathe Deeper,” “Is It True,” and “Patience.”
The Australian musician previously explained his vision of it to NPR, saying, “I’ll get Jay and Dom and we’ll do this kind of electronic jam with heaps of equipment around us and we’ll recreate the songs with samplers and sequencers. I’ve wanted to do something like this for a while and thought Tiny Desk would be the opportunity to do it.”
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”.
Speaking of their appearance on the show, host Bobby Carter spoke of his appreciation for the band’s creative process, saying: “The studio version of the band is pretty simple on paper: All songs are written, produced and performed by Kevin Parker.”
“For the live version, Parker is still front and centre but surrounded by a host of musicians who interpret his recorded work almost to a tee.”
The performance follows Tame Impala releasing Four Tet’s dreamy and ambient remix of “Is It True” last Friday.
“Is It True” is the sixth single from The Slow Rush, following “Borderline,” “It Might Be Time,” “Posthumous Forgiveness,” “Lost in Yesterday” and “Breathe Deeply.”
The album, released in February, became Tame Impala’s second Number One in Australia, and their previous album Currents recently achieved RIAA-certified Platinum status in the U.S., with more than 2.5 million copies sold internationally.
