“Loser” is Kevin Parker talking to himself in plain sight. The hook lands like a half-joke you can’t shake, “Do you wanna tear my heart out? … I’m a loser, babe,” and the verses keep circling the morning-after feeling: you tried to fix it, you made it worse, you’re still outside the shop with a warm drink, replaying the same scene.
The tempo rolls rather than sprints; the drums keep an easy stride while guitar jabs and keyboard plucks give the chorus its nudge.
The video makes the mood concrete. Joe Keery (Djo / Stranger Things) plays the guy who can’t get a break, argues with his partner, scratches a dud lottery ticket, pockets a lighter, and sits on the curb until day turns to night.
In the last beat, Kevin Parker steps into Keery’s outfit, breathes out a single “fuck,” and the spell snaps back.
Directed by Sam Kristofski (credited as KRISTOFSKI), it’s a simple, sticky vignette that matches the song’s shrug.
Release details sit where you’d expect fans to look for them. “Loser”dropped on 3 September 2025 as the second preview of Deadbeat, due 17 October via Columbia Records.
“Loser” has a mid-tempo sway with a small sting in the tail. The vocal sits close to the mic; the chorus tightens with a clipped guitar figure; the bridge opens up with synth glow and a hint of lift before settling back into a muttered goodbye.
If “End Of Summer” teased a rave-leaning lane, “Loser” pulls things back toward Lonerism/Slow Rush territory without feeling like a rerun.
One early write-up called it Parker “turn[ing] self-loathing into a banger,” which fits the way the melody bounces even when the words don’t.
Parker writes, produces, and mixes; Loren Humphrey is listed for additional production/recording; mastering by Matt Colton.
Fans are already split in the places you’d expect. On r/indieheads, some are relieved it’s “much better than ‘End Of Summer’,” while others say it “doesn’t really go anywhere,” and a few are literally playing the YouTube at 1.25x to test the feel.
Over on r/TameImpala, threads pick at the final shot (impostor syndrome? a body-swap gag?) and the choice to follow a dance track with something drier and shorter.
That mix, approval, doubt, head-canon is exactly the climate new Tame lands in.
Deadbeat is officially on the books for 17 October with Columbia, flagged as drawing on bush-doof/rave DNA.
If the two singles set the frame, “Loser” is the wry, compact one after the long night out.
Our take: “Loser” isn’t a Beck cosplay; Parker wears the word like a name tag.
After the rave sprawl of “End of Summer,” he cuts the lights, shrugs, and stares into the bit.
One word, one flinch, and the camera fades. If Deadbeat is the party he’s promised, “Loser” is the walk outside for air—the minute you decide to go back in anyway.
If the album holds this balance, dance DNA one week, deadpan the next, there’s a good chance the songs will stick beyond the first scroll.
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