Tame Impala have taken to triple j’s Perth studios to perform a cover of Edwyn Collins’ ’90s hit ‘Girl Like You’ for the Australian radio station’s Like a Version segment.
The psych juggernauts were faithful to the original in their rendition, even down to Collins’ vocal filter. They performed in the same trio configuration of frontman Kevin Parker, Jay Watson (aka GUM) and Dom Simper (aka bambi) playing samplers and sequencers that they debuted for NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert series in August – a setup Parker dubbed “Tame Impala Soundsystem”.
Watch it below.
In a post-performance interview, Parker spoke about his love of Collins’ original, saying he’d loved it since he was a teenager.
“For me it’s a really emotive song. It’s kind of bluesy and soulful, but for me melodically it’s more than that. It’s a really unique song because it doesn’t sound like it’s from any one particular time,” Parker said.
“I remember the very first time I heard the song, I was being driven, sitting in the backseat. I think my friend’s mum was driving us home and it was late at night, and we’d been at a school excursion to Sci-Tech [a science information centre in Perth] and I just remember that vividly.”
Parker also discussed the sound of the trio setup Tame Impala have been playing with, due to coronavirus border closures in the state of Western Australia.
“I wanted to make it sound a little more like a Chemical Brothers remix. A lot of the stuff we’ve been doing with this setup has been like that. Even with our own songs, it sounds like a remix and more electronic,” he said.
As is customary of the segment, Tame Impala also performed an original: ‘Breathe Deeper’ from this year’s ‘The Slow Rush’. Watch that performance below.
In a recent interview, Parker said he was keen to play some smaller venues over the Australian summer.
“I miss those smaller shows, those sweaty, intimate shows – it’s a vibe that can’t be replaced,” he said.
“It’s not the same in an arena or a stadium. This year has been all about having a good excuse to do something you wouldn’t normally do so if it’s an excuse to do some smaller shows, I would love that.”
Tame Impala released their fourth studio album ‘The Slow Rush’ back in February of this year. In a four-star review, NME called the album a “57-minute flex of every musical muscle in Parker’s body”.
“It is, overall, an exhilarating listen… This band aren’t rock music’s saviours; they’re so much more than that.”