Last week, French electronic pioneers Daft Punk announced their breakup after 28 years, sending shockwaves throughout the music world. A slew of tributes and commiserations ensued, and in a testament to the duo’s lasting impact on listeners and music, many of them were particularly emotional, carrying the kind of weight one usually associates more with a eulogy than a band ending
One of those who didn’t expect to be so moved by the news was Tame Impala bandleader Kevin Parker, who compared learning of the band’s dissolution with hearing “about someone that’s died.”
In an interview with Matt Wilkinson from Apple Music, Parker said, “I guess I wasn’t expecting to be as emotional as I was, especially because I watched the video they released, that kind of eight-minute thing, which I think has already been on a movie of theirs, obviously re-contextualized for them announcing their split-up, but it really moved me.”
“It shook me,” Parker added. “It was almost like when you hear about someone that’s died. I know it’s obviously not nearly as tragic as when someone dies, but that kind of shock.”
Despite how it affected him, Parker went on to commend the band – who haven’t released an album since 2013 classic Random Access Memories – for making the decision to formally draw things to a close. “That must take so much guts to do, to not just say, ‘Someone might offer us a billion dollars for a show next year, maybe let’s hold out. To just say, ‘This is the end.'”
Elsewhere in the interview Parker talks about hearing 1995’s ‘Da Funk’ for the first time, and meeting the duo at a party. Listen in full here.
