"The Less I Know The Better" by Tame Impala

-

"The Less I Know The Better" by Tame Impala is undeniably one of the most influential songs of the past decade. Since its release in 2015, I've heard echoes of its hazy, psychedelic electronic production and iconic bassline across countless tracks by other artists. Kevin Parker recorded the entirety of Currents on his own, which makes its impact even more impressive. This track stands out as a defining moment from an album that helped shape the direction of indie rock music for years to come.

The song tells an ironic and funny story of unrequited love, as he sings about seeing his ex leave a party with someone else. "Someone said they left together, I ran out the door to get her, she was holding hands with Trevor, not the greatest feeling ever," he sings. "Said, 'pull yourself together, you should try your luck with Heather', then I heard they slept together, oh, the less I know the better". The defeated sarcasm in his delivery is so casual, but the contrast of the biting lyricism makes the story even more captivating. 

In a 2015 interview with Under The Radar, he talked about the initial idea for this song stemming from his love of disco music. "That song originally I thought shouldn't be on a Tame Impala album, because it has this dorky, white disco funk. I wouldn't call it cheesy, but it's not trying to be too cool, because the lyrics are pretty dorky and the groove is pretty dorky," he said. "But at the same time, for me, I love that kind of music. I don't know why, but I've been obsessed with disco for the last year or two." 

Initially, he had passed the song along to collaborator Mark Ronson to use for his 2015 album Uptown Special, deeming it to be too pop for the typical Tame Impala sound at the time. He ultimately asked for it back and it ended up being one of the defining tracks of Currents later that year. 

"It all just came from this demo that I recorded. I don't know if I thought of the vocal melody or the bass riff first - you know, the bass rift that starts the song, but I just recorded in about 15 minutes," Kevin said in an interview with Far Out Magazine. He continued, "I just had the idea - I was like, 'I got to record this before I forget it'. It was only a minute long or something, but that ended up being just the final version."

Check out more from my song of the week series here. ☆ Thanks for reading!



Photo Credit: Tame Impala, Interscope Records, Modular



Related Posts:


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular Posts

"Spring Into Summer" by Lizzy McAlpine // Song Review

-
Image
Lizzy McAlpine 's "Spring Into Summer" is a beautifully written reflection on the cyclical nature of relationships, using the changing seasons as a powerful metaphor for love, regret, and personal growth. The song captures both the melancholy act of letting go and the hope that comes with stepping into a new season of life, embracing change despite knowing that the cycle will inevitably continue. It signals change after the darkness of winter, carrying a sense of warmth and renewal as summer approaches. At the same time, it carries this anticipation that the fall will eventually come again. As always, Lizzy's intimate storytelling shines through in the lyricism, beautifully depicting the emotional transitions that this song represents. "Spring into summer, and the winter's gone, I try to hold on to it, but the current's too strong, somebody finds me in the state I am, love you like I mean it when I know I can't," she sings in the opening lines. I...
Read more

"party 4 u" by Charli xcx // Song Review

-
Image
"party 4 u" by Charli xcx is a euphoric anthem of unrequited love, a song full of glittering synths and raw emotion. She sings about throwing an entire party with the hopes that just the one person she wants to see the most will be there - a very Gatsby theme that she translated so well into this song. It is featured on her 2020 album how i'm feeling now , which was largely created in isolation and released in the thick of the pandemic in May of that year. She worked with her frequent collaborator, A.G. Cook , on this song and the rest of the album. By the time the pandemic started, they only had about half of the album finished, so they decided to go with a DIY approach while finishing the rest of how i'm feeling now .  "party 4 u" had a much longer history by that point though, as Charli said in an interview with Apple Music. "This is the oldest song on the album. For myself and A. G., this song has so much life and story," Charli said. "We...
Read more

"Wait a Minute!" by Willow // Song Review

-
Image
"Wait A Minute!" by Willow is such a captivating and introspective song, one that continues to stand out as a highlight from her early work. This song effortlessly blends experimental neo-funk sounds with emotional complexity. Wanting to stop and reflect for a moment amidst a chaotic situation, "Wait A Minute!" gives honest insight into her thoughts on growing up, falling in love and exploring her spirituality. The ethereal and atmospheric production, paired with her engaging vocal delivery really makes this song so memorable. "Hold on, wait a minute, feel my heart's intention, oh," she sings in the chorus, "Hold on, wait a minute, I left my consciousness in the sixth dimension, left my soul in his vision, let's go get it, oh, oh".  This song was featured as the thirteenth track on her 2015 debut album  Ardipithecus, but it didn't start gaining traction until around 2019 as one of the first notable songs to go viral on TikTok, which a...
Read more

"Sally, When The Wine Runs Out" by Role Model // Song Review

-
Image
Role Model , which is the stage name for artist Tucker Pillsbury, has been a steadily rising indie artist for the past few years, with his 2024 sophomore album Kansas Anymore serving as his first major breakthrough of his career. Much of the album is a blend of pop, folk, and country music, which is a growing trend in music in recent years, as well as a departure from the sound of much of his 2022 debut album. Kansas Anymore is a really great album, I can't believe it took me this long to listen to it in its entirety. It feels reminiscent of artists like Noah Kahan , Phoebe Bridgers , and Niall Horan , which is fitting since he worked with some of the same collaborators throughout. His voice has also always reminded me so much of Jesse Rutherford of The Neighbourhood , they share a similar soft tone that is very distinct to both of them as vocalists and songwriters. Kansas Anymore  is an album about navigating heartbreak and finding yourself in the process, he truly   ...
Read more

The Best Songs of July 2025 // New Music Friday!

-
Image
"Cross Yor Mind" by Shelly Shelly, the side project of close friends Clairo , Claud , Josh Mehling, and Noa Getzug returns after five years with two addicting new singles, "Cross Your Mind" and "Hartwell". I absolutely love both songs, but "Cross Your Mind" just might be my favorite song of the summer so far. Hopefully they release a full-length collaborative project soon, I can't wait to hear more from them! "Gasoline - triple j Like A Version" by Djo Earlier this year, Djo recorded an incredible cover of Haim 's "Gasoline" for triple j's Like A Version series, and now it's finally been officially released on streaming platforms. He took what was already one of my favorite songs by the band and completely made it his own, giving a fresh perspective and edge to it while still capturing everything that made the original so special. "don't speak" by Wet Leg I've been loving Wet Leg 's new a...
Read more