Kevin Parker’s Tame Impala returned in September 2025 with “Loser,” a funk-driven single accompanied by a music video starring Joe Keery of Stranger Things — with a brief, blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameo from Beck, whose own 1994 song of the same name the track winks at. Directed by longtime Parker collaborator Sam Kristofski, the video was shot at a real Los Angeles corner store and follows Keery through a quietly comic post-breakup spiral. From this point on, this article focuses entirely on the song, the video’s production, and where you can stream both.
Tame Impala: Loser Song and Video Details
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Song Title | “Loser” |
| Artist | Tame Impala (Kevin Parker) |
| Parent Album | Deadbeat (5th studio album) |
| Songwriter / Producer | Kevin Parker |
| Label | Columbia Records |
| Genre | Psychedelic pop, funk |
| Song Length | 3:43–3:44 (sources vary by seconds) |
| Single Release Date | September 3, 2025 |
| Parent Album Release Date | October 17, 2025 |
| Video Director | Sam Kristofski |
| Video Producer | Kevin Clark |
| Cinematographer | Charlie Sarroff |
| Production Companies | Screens, Iconoclast, Good World Creative |
| Lead Cast | Joe Keery, with Kevin Parker and a Beck cameo |
| Filming Location | Bob’s Market, Los Angeles |
| Streaming Platforms | Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, Vimeo |
“Loser” is the second single from Tame Impala’s fifth studio album, Deadbeat, and marks the project’s first year on Columbia Records after years with Interscope/Modular. It followed the July 2025 single “End of Summer” and arrived alongside its music video on the same day, September 3, 2025. Critics at outlets like Paste and Consequence described the track as a return to Parker’s funkier, bass-driven psych-pop roots after the more dance-oriented “End of Summer,” calling it a slow-burning, hypnotic companion piece. The single edition released to streaming services pairs “Loser” with “End of Summer,” running just under 11 minutes combined. The parent album, Deadbeat, followed six weeks later and folds “Loser” into a 12-track, 56-minute set recorded largely at Parker’s home studio in Fremantle, Western Australia.
Who Wrote and Produced “Loser”?
Kevin Parker, who records and performs as Tame Impala, wrote, produced, and performed nearly every instrument on “Loser” himself, continuing the one-man-band approach that has defined his catalog since his 2010 debut. Born in Sydney and raised largely in Perth, Parker built Tame Impala from bedroom recordings into one of the most influential psychedelic-pop projects of the last fifteen years, starting with InnerSpeaker (2010) and Lonerism (2012), the latter earning him a Grammy nomination for Best Alternative Music Album. His 2015 album Currents pushed the project toward synth-driven pop and produced “The Less I Know the Better,” now certified across multiple markets with billions of streams. The Slow Rush followed in 2020, debuting at number one in Australia and reaching the top 10 in more than a dozen countries.
Beyond his own albums, Parker has become one of pop’s more sought-after collaborators, writing and producing for Dua Lipa (including her 2024 album Radical Optimism), and contributing to work with The Weeknd, SZA, and Rihanna, among others. His side project with French duo Justice, “Neverender,” won the Grammy Award for Best Dance/Electronic Recording in 2024. “Loser” and “Deadbeat” mark Parker’s first new Tame Impala material since The Slow Rush, and the song was nominated for Song of the Year at the APRA Music Awards of 2026, though the award ultimately went to Amyl and the Sniffers’ “Jerkin’.”
Loser Single Release Details
| Track | Length | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Loser | 3:43 | Lead single of the release |
| 2. End of Summer | 7:12 | Previously released July 2025 as the album’s first single |
Combined single runtime: 10:55, independently verified by adding both track durations as listed on Spotify.
Within the full Deadbeat album tracklist, “Loser” sits as track 4 of 12, between “Dracula” and “Oblivion.”
Song and Video Highlights
“Loser” (the track): Built around a slow, funk-inflected bassline and a repeating guitar-and-chorus hook, the song leans into a resigned, self-deprecating mood that multiple outlets contrasted with the brighter, dance-house energy of “End of Summer.” Writers at Paste and Culled Culture both linked the song’s title and chorus directly to Beck’s 1993 breakout hit of the same name, a connection Parker made explicit by casting Beck in a small cameo role in the video.
The video’s narrative: Directed by Sam Kristofski, the clip follows Joe Keery — best known as Steve Harrington in Stranger Things and as the musician Djo — playing a down-on-his-luck character in the aftermath of a breakup. His love interest, played by Ariel Mortman, drives off early in the video; Keery then wanders to Bob’s Market, buys a drink, and spends the rest of the video sitting on the curb outside, working through what went wrong. In the closing moments, the video jump-cuts and Keery’s role is quietly taken over by Kevin Parker himself, who appears in the same clothing and pose outside the store at night. Beck appears briefly as a passerby in a yellow shirt outside the market, a cameo Parker later confirmed on social media with a behind-the-scenes photo of the two artists together.
Where Else You’ve Heard “Loser”
“Loser” is a single and video release rather than a film or television score, so there are no in-story needle drops to catalog here. Worth noting instead: the song found a second wind in mid-2026 after being featured in the film Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which sent it back up iTunes charts following the movie’s release. This is a case of “Loser” being used as a needle drop in another production, rather than containing one itself.
Sam Kristofski (Director) — Selected Filmography
| Year | Project | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Tame Impala — “Loser” | Director |
| 2025 | Tame Impala — “My Old Ways” | Director |
| 2021 | So Below — “Fear” | Director |
| 2021 | Blood Cultures — “Beneath the Moon & Me” | Director |
| 2018 | Fazerdaze — “Lucky Girl” | Director |
| 2018 | Broods — “Peach” | Director |
| 2018 | Pond — “Sixteen Days” | Director |
| 2018 | Gum — “Couldn’t See Past My Ego” | Director |
| 2018 | The Rare Bird | Director |
Kristofski is a New Zealand–based filmmaker who has directed music videos for artists including Bic Runga, Shapeshifter, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, The Ruby Suns, and Babe Rainbow over a career spanning more than a decade, alongside a long-running collaboration with Tame Impala.
Where to Listen to and Watch “Tame Impala: Loser”
“Loser” is available to stream on Spotify and Apple Music, either as part of its original two-track single release or within the full Deadbeat album. The official music video, directed by Sam Kristofski, is available to watch on Tame Impala’s YouTube channel and on Vimeo. The song also continues to appear on curated Tame Impala and Columbia Records playlists across major streaming platforms following its renewed chart activity in 2026.
FAQs
Who wrote and produced “Tame Impala: Loser”?
Kevin Parker, who performs as Tame Impala, wrote and produced the song himself.
Who directed the “Tame Impala: Loser” music video?
Sam Kristofski, a longtime music video collaborator of Tame Impala, directed the video.
Who stars in the “Loser” music video?
Joe Keery plays the lead role, with Kevin Parker and a cameo appearance from Beck.
When was “Loser” released? The single and its music video were both released on September 3, 2025.
What album is “Tame Impala: Loser” from?
“Loser” is the second single from Tame Impala’s fifth studio album, Deadbeat, released October 17, 2025.
Why does Beck appear in the video?
The song’s title and chorus reference Beck’s 1994 hit “Loser,” and Beck makes a brief cameo as a nod to that connection.
Where was the “Tame Impala: Loser” video filmed?
It was filmed at Bob’s Market in Los Angeles, a location also used in The Fast and the Furious.