Tame Impala Talks To His Father On “Posthumous Forgiveness”

With the release of his third and arguably most impactful single, “Posthumous Forgiveness,” off his latest LP, The Slow Rush (2020), Tame Impala is looking to take the throne as this year’s most prestigious mainstream musician. With a collaboration with the Gorillaz in the works and sets lined up to perform at some of the world’s most coveted festivals such as Bonnaroo and the Governers Ball, Tame Impala will not be lacking in quality content to provide to those massive crowds of attendees. With that said, “Posthumous Forgiveness” might be the one song that creates lasting memories for those who will be able to witness Kevin Parker and company live in the coming years. 

“Posthumous Forgiveness” is a six-minute journey into Kevin Parker’s perspective of his father as a child. Eventually, Parker grows, his father perishes (skin cancer, 2009), and he comes into conversation with his late-life giver posthumously. What begins as a simple kick drum, hi-hat, organ, and guitar riff becomes an explosion of emotion as Parker’s distorted vocals tell the story of unreconciled trauma and longing for his father to view him as a man he grew into. 

Screeching synth pads and a thudding repetitive kick drum haunt the once mellow instrumentation and continue throughout the bridge of the song until the second sequence of the song at the 3:51 mark. The instrumentation switches to synth pads as Parker comes to the realization that his father was only a man. Yet, he’s still longing for one more conversation and wishing for his father’s ability to partake in his musical journey today. 

Check out Tame Impala’s “Posthumous Forgiveness” in the streaming link provided below and let us know your thoughts on Parker’s creation in the comment section. 

Quotable Lyrics

Ever since I was a small boy
No one else compared to you, no way
I always thought heroes stayed close
Whenever troubled times arose
I didn’t know
Ain’t always how it goes
Every single word you told me
I believed without a question, always
To save all of us, you told us both to trust
But now I know you only saved yourself
Did you think I’d never know?
Never wise up as I grow?
And you could store an ocean in the holes
In any of the explanations that you gave
And while you still had time, you had a chance
But you decided to take all your sorries to the grave