Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker returns with “Dracula,” the third single from his forthcoming album Deadbeat (out October 17, 2025 via Columbia). The track arrives alongside a striking visual directed by Julian Klincewicz, who previously handled the video for “End of Summer.”
“Dracula” began life in a raw, minimal form before evolving into the polished pop-leaning version we hear now — a reflection of Parker’s iterative approach. The video frames Kevin striding through the Australian outback at night, often flanked by shadows and spectral figures — the visuals lean into both an eerie isolation and nocturnal allure.
From the moment the kick drum lands, “Dracula” stakes its ground. It’s built on a four-on-the-floor pulse, shimmering synth lines, and Parker’s dreamy vocals, offering a seductive groove that nods to the dance floor while retaining a subtle darkness. The track doesn’t try to reinvent Parker’s sonic palette so much as refine it: there’s a precision to its progression, and the atmosphere never lets up.
Lyrically, Parker inhabits nocturnal imagery — “The shadows, yeah, they keep me pretty like a movie star” — evoking someone grappling with the tensions between light/dark, exposure/concealment. The metaphor of Dracula as a figure who thrives in the night (and avoids the daylight) feels apt for a song about embracing the hidden, the nocturnal self.
In the video, the visual narrative mirrors the song’s balance of allure and unease. Parker leads a party from the darkness, almost like a dream ritual, as dawn encroaches. The cinematography drapes the desert in long shadows and sharp contrasts, and the pace of editing mirrors the track’s rhythmic tension: sweeping motion, stillness, then surge again. The night feels both expansive and claustrophobic — a perfect environment for a song about longing and hidden life.
Where “Dracula” is strongest is in that tension: it invites you into the groove, while always suggesting there’s another layer beneath. It might not churn forward with wild unpredictability, but it’s steady, hypnotic, and carefully constructed.
If there is a critique, it’s that compared to Parker’s more adventurous past work, “Dracula” stays relatively restrained. For listeners hoping for maximal texture or sharp surprises, parts of it may feel too slick or predictable. But for others, this is exactly what makes it effective: a sleek pop song filtered through Parker’s emotional lens.
Rating
I’d give “Dracula” a 7.5 / 10 — a strong single that balances accessibility and artistry, and one that raises anticipation for Deadbeat without overselling its hand.