Almost five years may have passed since Tame Impala last put out a new record, but the global pull of the band has failed to fade with time. Rather, the myth and mystique surrounding Kevin Parker’s genre-blurring project continues to snowball – with The Slow Rush an early contender for the most hotly anticipated release of the year.

As the lone-wolf mastermind behind all four Tame Impala albums, Parker has become the modern-day torchbearer for spacey psych-pop. With debut album Innerspeaker, he established himself as a stoner folk hero, supplying the laid-back indie soundtrack for post-barbecue smoking sessions around the world. Each subsequent release has seen him move further away from that initial sound – swapping out guitars for synths, and more eagerly embracing the pull of a great pop melody.

And while The Slow Rush is as close to glittering pop for the masses as Tame Impala have ever ventured, it simultaneously finds Parker at his most introspective and sonically bold. Richly textured and full of vibrant nods to his predecessors, opening track ‘One More Year’ immediately showcases his dazzling ability to build a unique sonic world with each song – experimenting with layers and space, while pulling from prog, psych, disco, R&B, EDM and soft rock.