Tame Impala Shares New Single “Loser”

The guitar and bass circle the same melody that’s later mimicked in the chorus: a quick sixteenth-note run (“I’m a loser”) with a sigh at the end (“babe”). Parker’s quintessential falsettos send a shiver down my spine (complimentary), with their distinct yet distorted tone that I’m certain I could make out from miles away. It’s nostalgic and inventive at the same time, with self-depricating lyrics (“I’m a tragedy / Trying to figure my whole life out”) that feel even more honest than those we heard on Currents-era songs like “‘Cause I’m A Man” or “New Person, Same Old Mistakes.”

“Loser” is accompanied by a music video starring Joe Keery, aka Djo, which Parker teased on Instagram in the days leading up to the release. The video finds Keery loitering outside an LA market after a girl angrily leaves him on the curb (presumably after he did, or said, something stupid: Keery muttering “C’mon, that’s not what I meant” under his breath feels like a direct callback to “‘Cause I’m a man, woman / I never think before I do”). As the night continues, Parker’s face replaces Keery’s in a blink-and-you-miss-it cut between people passing by. Watch the video below.