Marking the third single to be released off the upcoming Tame Impala album ‘The Slow Rush’, ‘It Might Be Time’ is a surreal exploration of the inevitability of the passage of time. More urgent than ‘Patience’ (notably absent from the album’s upcoming track list) and more trance-like than ‘Borderlines’, ‘It Might Be Time’ carves out its own timbre from the other two singles released so far, to recapture the complexity and depth that Tame Impala is renowned for.
Tame Impala songs have always hinted at undertones of paranoia and stress but ‘It Might Be Time’ brings these to the surface amidst panicked siren wails and synths. Given the length of time since the 2015 release of their previous album, ‘Currents’, the pressure to deliver quality content is omnipresent in commentary on Kevin Parker’s work. This is reflected in the single’s lyrics, with Parker lamenting “It ain’t as fun as it used to be.” Yet, the song still manages to deliver new surprises and twists. The song’s pace fades out in interludes that are more reminiscent of the chilled out vibes of ‘Patience’, before returning with vigour in the driving beat of the choruses.
‘It Might Be Time’ marks a shift towards a more psychedelic and surreal sound from Tame Impala. A mesh of ‘70s psychedelic rock and pop, this is the type of music Tame Impala does best. The addition of prominent drum beats adds an edge to the track and serves to announce that Tame Impala is back in action and defiant as ever. The song itself manages to fight back against the chorus’ suggestions that “it might be time to face it (Yeah) / You ain’t as fun as fun as you used to be” to show Parker, and Tame Impala, are back on peak form and doing what they do best.
[Catherine Bouchard, she/her]
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