Tame Impala, the musical project led by Australian multi-instrumentalist and producer Kevin Parker, has left a deep mark on an entire generation with his unique approach to modern psychedelia. From his early guitar-driven, reverb-soaked recordings to more refined electronic textures, Parker has become a key reference for those interested in sound exploration and music production. His meticulous control over songwriting, recording, and mixing has shaped a sonic identity that is both personal and forward-thinking.

On this website we have already deconstructed a couple of his songs, such as The Less I Know the better, and some collaborations by Tame Impala with Gorillaz “New Gold” or Daft Punk “Neverender”.

After more than five years since The Slow Rush (2020), Parker returned with his fifth studio album, Deadbeat, released on October 17, 2025. The record represents a bold evolution in his sound palette, blending influences from electronic music, club culture, and his signature psychedelic sensibility. The result is an album that feels rhythm-driven, immersive, and intentionally designed for movement, while still retaining the emotional depth that defines Tame Impala.

Among the tracks on Deadbeat, “Loser” stands out not only for its infectious energy but also for its detailed and intentional production. Tame Impala's track "Loser" from the album Deadbeat drew significant inspiration from 1970s Turkish psychedelic rock, particularly from iconic artist Barış Manço, whom Kevin Parker called the "Turkish Todd Rundgren" for his genre-bending career, with Manço's unique blend of disco and psych rock directly influencing the sound of "Loser.

In this article, we will break down the production of “Loser”, focusing on its structure, sound design, rhythmic foundation, and mixing decisions, to better understand how Kevin Parker turns a simple idea into a powerful and cohesive sonic experience.

Here you can listen to my full remake, and below you can read my step-by-step tutorial!

‍

Tame Impala 'Loser' Guitar Tone

Tame Impala's song "Loser" is primarily composed of guitar riffs, inspired by the sound of Turkish psychedelic rock, particularly the iconic artist Barış Manço, as we've discussed.

To recreate the song, I recorded two guitar riff tracks. One plays the same bass notes, and the other plays different octaves or harmonies in some parts. I used Guitar Rig 5 to generate a fairly standard clean guitar sound, with minimal effects. Listen below to how the two guitar tracks blend together and create some harmonies in the second half of the audio, and then again in the chorus.

Tame Impala 'Loser' - Guitar Sound

In addition, there are two rhythm guitar tracks playing chords in the verses and choruses, also with a fairly clean sound, similar to the previous ones. One of the two tracks only appears in the choruses and bridge, and the other, drier, plays the chords in the verses. Listen to it here.

Tame Impala 'Loser' - Rhythm Guitar Sound

‍

Tame Impala 'Loser' Bass Tone

The bass in the song has a fairly characteristic line, similar to the guitar. The sound is quite standard, with a full bass line and not too bright, unlike the percussive bass in other Tame Impala tracks. I used the following preset of Maserati from Waves, and that's all! This is how it sounds.

Tame Impala 'Loser' - Bass Tone

‍

Tame Impala 'Loser' Synth Production

There are a couple of synthesizer details in Tame Impala's "Loser." First, a pluck sound throughout the song, which he recreated using TAL-U-NO as follows. Listen to how it sounds.

Remember that, exclusive for patrons, you can also download the chord progressions as MIDI files, these synth presets and this Ableton Project on my patreon, and you will be supporting my work! <3

Tame Impala 'Loser' - Pluck Sound

In the second verse, a pad appears reinforcing the vocal melody, as follows. I recreated it this time with the Arturia VST that recreates Juno (the same one as TAL-U-NO).

Tame Impala 'Loser' - Pad Sound

Finally, in the bridge, there's an organ-like synthesizer that I recreated with Arturia's B-3 using the following settings. Listen to it.

Tame Impala 'Loser' - Organ Sound

‍

Tame Impala 'Loser' Vocal Production

The vocal production on Loser - Tame Impala follows pretty much the same production style Kevin Parker uses on all his albums, with long feedback delays and reverbs. I used a preset quite similar to the one I used on my other remake of Less I Know the Best, so I recommend you check that one out too! Basically, the most important thing was sending all the vocals to one waveform H-delay return and another to the Valhalla reverb. Also, i put some distorsion send with the decapitator.

Listen to the differences between the vocals with and without these sends below. Can you hear the additional vocal harmonies on the chorus?

Tame Impala 'Loser' - Vocals without FX sends

Tame Impala 'Loser' - Vocals with FX sends

‍

That's all, just a quick look. But if you want more details, you can find more information on my Patreon, where you can support my work so I can continue creating this content for you, as well as download lots of exclusive content like sound banks, Ableton projects, tracks, presets, and exclusive tutorials. Don't forget to give your feedback on my youtube video!

‍