Psychedelic pop / rock giants Tame Impala just released their newest album Currents on Interscope Records. Before our copies of the album flew off the shelves on Friday, I sat down to study the long-awaited record I’ve been anticipating after seemingly countless listens through their previous releases. Early fans came for the riffs that feel timeless, but are refreshing at the same time, and stuck around for lush, constantly impressive production that frontman Kevin Parker applied to the songs that he largely wrote and recorded on his own.

Parker tries to break outside the “psychedelic rock” niche that he worries Tame Impala is currently trapped in (see Parker’s recent interview with The Guardian, where he says, “I don’t like the idea that I’m a one-trick pony, even if I am!”). He deviates from Tame Impala’s path to attaining their own rock n roll throne to present his newest set of songs as a collection of pop hits drenched in disco and electronic influence. Tame Impala has always been the rock n roll outlet for Parker’s inner pop star – but on this album they have taken another form – substituting distorted guitars and extremely-uniquely-produced drums for ominous synths and more beat-oriented choruses.

The pop shines on Currents – but the problem with this album is that it’s lacking the driving riffs and impressive creativity that longtime fans have come to adore on previous Tame Impala releases. Don’t get me wrong – there is great material on this album. The opening track “Let It Happen?” Amazing. The intro riff to “Eventually?” Could listen to that riff on repeat for hours – a real heavy hitter! Even the interludes (i.e. “Nangs” & “Gossip”) pique interest. But when the album gets around to tracks like “Yes I’m Changing,” “‘Cause I’m A Man,” and “Love Paranoia” (and generally the tail end of the album), it is easy to completely lose interest. There’s some captivating melodies on these tracks (though they’re often delivering terribly cheesy lyrical content on this album), and even some of those beat-centric choruses have great grooves – but ultimately the album leaves the avid Tame Impala fan longing for something more substantial, something more interesting, less predictable.

Perhaps I’m having a tough time swallowing this transition between records (though it gets easier every time a band I love ditches guitars to make ‘their 80s record’) – but overall, it’s an album that caters less to the fan in me that found Tame Impala so fascinatingly unique in the first place. These are good pop songs, but they don’t come across the way fans have come to expect Tame Impala to sound. I couldn’t help but think – maybe this is the album longtime Tame Impala fans like myself deserve, but not the album they need right now. Ultimately, Parker is making the music he wants to make, and no fault can be found in that. But is there hope for another album with epic, totally unique psych-pop tunes like “It’s Not Meant To Be,” “Alter Ego,” “Mind Mischief” and “Keep On Lying?” To me, part of being a fan is waiting around to find out.

RIYL: Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Yeasayer, Twin Shadow