For those in bands, performing has become quite tricky during quarantine due to members’ social distancing in their respective locations. However, when you’re Tame Impala, that problem doesn’t apply to you. While on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, Kevin Parker, the man behind Tame Impala, flexed his creativity during a televised performance of “Is It True,” from his latest album The Slow Rush.
More often than not, livestreams lose out on the “wow” factor due to lack of resources. Parker, known for delivering some of the most epic shows out there, was able to overcome these restrictions, throwing down an eye-catching performance by filming himself playing three separate parts from the track and combining them into a three-way split-screen of technicolor delight. He even dressed up in different outfits to aid the illusion, which made fans think they were watching a full band.
Luckily for Parker, instrumenting the whole performance solo comes second nature, being that he’s actually a one-man-band already. Behind the scenes, he writes, produces, and plays all the instruments we hear in every Tame Impala song. In fact, the moniker was created by the esteemed artist as a way to represent himself as a group versus a solo act. He shared the reasoning behind this choice during a recent interview on Rick Rubin‘s “Broken Record” podcast.
“In fact, the record label when they signed us didn’t even know it was me that was playing drums and guitars and bass and multi-tracking,” said Parker. “I outright lied to them when we met up. The contract that we signed was for three of us. I didn’t want to say it was just me, for a number of reasons. Number one, I was kind of shy. Looking back, it’s like, why the fuck didn’t you just own it?”
Since then, the secret is out and everyone knows who the mastermind is. He still brings the band on tour to help him perform his tracks, but his genius is exemplified during these times of isolation as he can rely on himself as the sole performer. Tame Impala released The Slow Rush in February and was bringing the album to life with a nationwide tour up until the moment the stay-at-home ordinances were instated.
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