In front of a sold-out show at the Riviera Theatre May 14, Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker bantered with talk of John Belushi. It’s cliche perhaps groan-worthy to most Chicagoans, but Parker was genuinely at ease. But just a year or two ago, Parker, with his eyes closed and head thrown back, appeared lost in his own daydreams onstage. Their sound was tight, well-choreographed and slick. Today, weeks before a third album and overflowing one of the city’s larger venues, Tame Impala is becoming a new band.

Before coming onstage Friday, two young women in the front row arched over the barricades to spot Parker, and their excitement was channelled through screams as the band took position. They wasted no time delving into new material with opener “Let it Happen,” a groovy, smooth track that sounds like it was pulled straight from Toro Y Moi. It was the first of the “Currents” singles – three of which were sprinkled throughout the set – and easily the catchiest. Slow-riding “Cause I’m a Man” and bouncing pop of “Eventually” didn’t have the same punch alongside Tame Impala’s heavier early material, but are still very promising looks to a soul-infused record.

But Parker, still scraggly and draped in a mini scarf, hasn’t ditched all the old tricks. “It Isn’t Meant to Be” had a palpable energy springloaded behind it. “Elephant” pounded, and, as if further teasing “Currents,”  the band cheekily toyed with it to make it a dancier track.

As they marched back onstage for an encore, there were two notably missing songs: “Solitude is Bliss” and “Feels Like We Only Go Backwards.” The latter spurred the crowd into a singalong, but “Solitude” isn’t on their recent setlist anymore. Though Tame Impala is the brainchild of Parker alone, between the screaming fans, sold-out shows and tight full-band, isolation no longer applies.