"Elephant" is the first official single from Tame Impala’s Lonerism, and on first listen, it's somewhat of a departure from their previous sound and even the rest of the record. But the more time I spend with it, the more it feels like a track from an alternate world version of the band. Kevin Parker, the mind behind Tame Impala, often uses his voice as a way of elevating himself high above the earth, drifting across goopy guitars and sparkling with subtle, distant pain—but with "Elephant" everything is grounded and at the forefront. It's a chugging track that sounds like it was conceived while driving around in a rusty VW after a few heavy bong rips. It's instrumentally darker than much of Lonerism, but it's also more immediately revealing. Nothing is hidden, everything is right in front of you. The "Elephant" single will be out in August, with remixes from Todd Rundgren (!) and Canyons, and Lonerism will be out October 9th in the US on Modular.
