Summer’s in full swing and Tame Impala bassist Dom Simper is one excited animal. Album number one is finally on the way, and although it’s lacking a title or artwork, he knows exactly how it’s gonna go down. The man needs no push to talk all about it.

“People will love it, I reckon,” he enthuses. “It’s definitely a summer album, it’s very dreamy, and it’s hard to describe because it’s influenced by lots of different genres. Hopefully it doesn’t all sound the same. I don’t think it does, anyway.”

The album follows the band’s critically-acclaimed self-titled EP and sold-out shows across Australia. Rewind about a year ago and people were still saying – œTame Who?’ Now the band’s reputation for fierce live shows and extended jams is well-known.

The group has come along way since its original incarnation, the Dee Dee Dums (no confirmation on who was responsible for the band name). It was a swing/jazz outfit – a far cry from the band’s current form.

“Everything’s starting to come to get there for us. That’s the feeling. March is when the album’s [due for release],” the bassist reveals. “Kevin’s in New York at the moment mixing it, and hopefully as soon as that’s done we can start sending the songs out to radio and getting the ball rolling. We’re doing Big Day Out and Pyramid Rock over the New Year, and I’m pumped. Everyone else should be, too.”

Having fervently checked their blog, I knew all about the serene setting for the band’s recording sessions, which seemed more like a relaxing place to – œget away from it all’ rather than to record a debut LP.

“It was pretty much the perfect environment for us to record an album,” Dom counters. “It was totally isolated and right next to a beach. There was no internet, no phone reception, no TVs. We obviously toyed around with the idea of flying to LA with a big producer but we didn’t want to be in that kind of sterile environment for our first album. We decided to just do what we’ve always done, just on a greater scale. Hopefully the album will reflect the environment it was created in, and you’ll be able to hear that it was made in such a beautiful place.”

Anyone who’s heard Tame Impala will instantly recognise their sound – which is distinct despite its retro leanings. I wonder if the band have spent their lives listening to rock forefathers, and looked to them for inspiration.

“Our drummer Jay grew up listening to Led Zeppelin and The Who, whereas me and Kevin [Parker, lead guitarist/vocalist] were listening to Nirvana and Rage Against the Machine. It wasn’t till a few years ago that we got into Zeppelin and Cream and all that stuff. We don’t aim to have a retro sound or anything; it just happens naturally that way I think.

“The way it’s recorded is pretty retro but it’s just because we don’t like the ultra hi-fi produced sound, we prefer the whole sound to be melded into one, so the band sounds more unified, more organic. The – œretro’ thing comes from the way it’s produced, but we listen to shit from every decade.”

I’m curious about the – œrock-star lifestyle’, especially given Dom sounds exactly like myself, around about my age. “It’s pretty fuckin’ easy,” he admits. “We don’t really have to work any more. I feel pretty bad when I’m around my friends and they just talk about work, and I get to travel around and play music. With the band, we’re so close with each other; we’ve got a pretty good sense of staying down-to-earth. We don’t want anyone to be a rock star. If anyone starts to get that way we’ll pull them into line.

“We have the best job in the world, but there’s a whole lot of waiting around; before shows, at airports. That aspect gets overlooked. There’s a whole lot of rushing around, but then a whole lot more waiting around. I mean, apart from that, it’s sweet.”

Tame Impala’s debut album is due in 2010. The band has a solid summer of festivalling ahead.

Thurs 31 Dec – Pyramid Rock Festival, Phillip Island
Sun 10 Jan – Southbound Festival, Busselton
Sun 17 Jan – Big Day Out Gold Coast
Fri 22 Jan – Big Day Out Sydney
Tues 26 Jan – Big Day Out Melbourne
Fri 29 Jan – Big Day Out Adelaide
Sun 31 Jan – Big Day Out Perth
Sat 6 Mar – Golden Plains Festival, Meredith, Victoria