In 2016, Theophilus London took to Twitter to tease a collaboration with Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker. The teasing hasn’t stopped since, and only a couple of weeks ago, the pair performed songs they’ve been working on at The Peppermint Club in Hollywood under the guise Theo Impala.
Finally, we’ve got a taste of the delicious treats they’ve been cooking up. The new one, ‘Only You’, is a cover of Nigerian disco-funk legend Steve Monite’s 1984 track. The cult classic has recently found new life. First, it was released on the 2016 Doing It In Lagos compilation. Then, none other than Frank Ocean covered the track live at FYF Festival in 2017.
Theo and Kev have made minor but appropriate adjustments on their version, turning Steve’s lo-fi funk burner into a crisp disco inferno. The halcyon synths, vintage keys and groovy bassline have received an upgrade and sound better than ever.
Kev’s previously offered his disco flair to Kali Uchis’ track ‘Tomorrow’. I’m tipping the next Tame Impala album, due next year, will have Saturday Night Fever. Before that, we’ve got Theo’s album Bebey to look forward to, containing a few tracks with Kev.