"Dracula" is a song by Tame Impala, the musical project of Australian multi-instrumentalist Kevin Parker. It was released on 26 September 2025 as the third single from the project's fifth studio album, Deadbeat (2025). A disco and electropop song about finding solace in darkness, "Dracula" was produced by Parker and co-written by him and Sarah Aarons.
"Dracula" was met with a polarized response from critics, who praised its catchy pop sound while criticizing its shallow lyrics. Commercially, it became Tame Impala's most successful song and their first ever to chart on the US Billboard Hot 100. Julian Klincewicz directed the song's music video, which visually referenced Western Australia's rave and bush doof culture and received a nomination for the Audience Choice Award for Favourite Australian Music Video at the 15th AACTA Awards.
A remix of "Dracula" with South Korean singer and rapper Jennie was released on 6 February 2026, which spawned a viral trend on video-sharing app TikTok. Following the release of the remix, the song experienced a surge in popularity and reached new peaks worldwide, including number 11 on the Billboard Global 200 and number 25 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song also entered the top ten in Australia, Austria, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Lithuania, MENA, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Arab Emirates.
Background and release
On 25 July 2025, Tame Impala released "End of Summer" as their first single under Columbia Records,[1] followed by the single "Loser" on 3 September.[2] On 4 September, the project announced their fifth studio album Deadbeat, due for release via Columbia Records on 17 October 2025.[3] The following day, Tame Impala announced dates for a United States tour to support the album starting October.[4]
On 18 September, Tame Impala revealed the tracklist of Deadbeat, featuring previously released singles "End of Summer" and "Loser" as well as "Dracula" as the third track, and included a snippet of the unreleased song as the post's audio.[5] "Dracula" was issued on 26 September as the album's third single, alongside an announcement for the UK and Europe dates of the Deadbeat Tour.[6]
Recording and composition
Kevin Parker is credited as the song's producer, while the song was co-written by Sarah Aarons, making this the first Tame Impala single with a co-writer since "Elephant" and the only Tame Impala song on Deadbeat with a co-writer. "Dracula" began as a simple demo early in the Deadbeat sessions and was developed through successive studio passes into a tighter, more concise arrangement.[7] In an interview on Apple Music 1's Zane Lowe show, Parker described "Dracula" as one of the earliest pieces started for the album, noting it evolved from a raw, minimal sketch into a fuller, pop-leaning track.[8] A disco and electropop track,[9][10] it has been described as marrying a pulsing, dance-forward beat with Tame Impala's trademark psychedelic textures: layered synths, vocals with reverb, and a propulsive low-end. The production was described as being intentionally nocturnal and club-oriented to reflect the album's rave and bush doof inspirations.[11][12] Lyrically, the song positions Parker as a recluse who finds solace in darkness, comparing himself to the titular vampire Count Dracula.[9]
Music video
A music video for "Dracula" was released alongside the single and directed by Julian Klincewicz.[8] In the video, nighttime partiers dance outside of a portable house moved by a semi truck as Parker walks in and out of the scene looking resigned. Several media outlets noted the video's nighttime party and outback setting and visual references to Western Australia's rave and bush doof culture—imagery that matches with the album's broader promotional aesthetic.[11][13]
Critical reception
"Dracula" received a polarized critical response, with reviewers divided over its pop appeal and lyrical substance. Some critics identified it as a highlight of the album, with Neil Z. Yeung of AllMusic calling it "the immediate standout" and praising its "sleek, radio-friendly" sound.[14]KTLA reporter Russell Falcon named it one of the year's best pop songs,[15] while Rolling Stone's Jon Dolan described it as a "sleek synth-bop".[16] The track's disco-laden production garnered comparisons to Michael Jackson's Thriller[9][17] as well as Tame Impala's work on Dua Lipa's Radical Optimism.[18][19] Favorable reviews from Consequence and New Noise Magazine noted its groove-driven style and self-aware humor, with the former's Paolo Ragusa suggesting that its more exaggerated lyrics such as "Now I’m Mr. Charisma, fuckin' Pablo Escobar" contributed to its playful appeal.[20][21]
On the other hand, other critics like Clash's Karan Singh pointed to the same line as an example of the song's weaker songwriting and derided it as the album's worst track.[22] Will Hodgkinson of The Times and Charles Lyon-Bunt of Slant Magazine concurred with Singh's low ranking of the song, citing its perceived lack of depth and repetitiveness.[23][24]Pitchfork's Sam Goldner acknowledged the song's catchiness but found it ultimately insubstantial.[25] Similarly, Ross Horton MusicOMH noted the song's "undeniable groove" but found fault with its "hammy" lyrics.[26] Ed Power negatively characterized the song for The Irish Times as a "vapid piece of psychedelic fizz".[27]
"Dracula" was the first Tame Impala song to chart on the US Billboard Hot 100, debuting at number 55 with 6.5 million streams, 1.7 million radio audience impressions and 1,000 sold in its first week of release. The song also debuted at number seven and eight respectively on the Hot Alternative Songs and Hot Rock & Alternative Songs charts. It became the first song from Deadbeat to enter a radio chart, debuting at number 23 on Rock & Alternative Airplay and number 31 on Alternative Airplay.[30] Following the release of Deadbeat, "Dracula" debuted at number one on the Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart dated November 1, becoming the project's first number-one, and rose from number seven to its peak at number three on the Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart. On the all-genre Billboard Hot 100, "Dracula" entered the top 40 for the first time in the same week, rising from number 59 to 33.[31] The song saw an increase in streams on Halloween, achieving over 1.8 million on-demand U.S. streams, up 49% from the previous Friday.[10] The song subsequently reached a new peak at number 30 on the Hot 100 in November and also remained at number one on the Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart for five weeks. On the chart dated February 7, 2026, "Dracula" topped the Alternative Airplay chart, becoming Tame Impala's second number-one after "Neverender" with Justice in 2025.[32]
A remix of "Dracula" featuring South Korean singer and rapper Jennie was released as a single on 6 February 2026. Upon release,it received positive reviews and produced a viral trend on video-sharing app TikTok. Commercially,the remix peaked at number 11 on the Billboard Global 200,while entering the top ten in Greece and Latvia and the top thirty in the Czech Republic,France,Lithuania,Norway,and Slovakia.
Background and release
In 2026,Tame Impala began teasing a collaboration with South Korean singer and rapper Jennie by editing the "Dracula" music video description on YouTube to replace Kevin Parker's name with Jennie's in the line "My friends are saying ‘shut up Kevin just get in the car'". He was also photographed wearing official Jennie merchandise,adding to the rumours.[98] Parker officially announced the "Dracula" remix with Jennie on 3 February with an Instagram video of himself in the studio cranking the volume up on a fader labeled with her name,revealing her voice on the track.[99] The remix was officially released on 6 February 2026.[100]
Recording and composition
The remix version of "Dracula" retains the instrumental from the original,[101] though it introduces Jennie's "soft,captivating vocal style" halfway through.[102] She layers her vocals over several verses and the chorus and adds a new rap verse,starting with "Hey,Kevin,what’s up?/ Come pull up in my spot / Let’s keep the night glowing,I don’t ever wanna stop."[103]
Commercial performance
The remix was a commercial success and spawned a TikTok trend which helped sustain the chart success of "Dracula",keeping it on the top half of the Billboard Hot 100 for weeks. Jennie posted a video joining the trend during Paris Fashion Week on March 9,with the song remaining charting at number 37 on the Hot 100 chart dated March 14.[104] The viral trend for the remix exploded in popularity,with celebrities such as Lauren Conrad,Kristin Cavallari and Stephen Colletti joining. Due to the remix and its TikTok trend,"Dracula" surged on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and reached a new peak at number 25 on March 28,becoming Jennie's highest-charting single as a solo artist.[105]
Live performances
Jennie made her debut live performance of "Dracula" at the ComplexCon Hong Kong festival on March 22,2026.[106] For the performance,she wore a long black coat that evoked "gothic fantasy".[107]
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