"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 polarised response from critics, who praised its catchy pop sound while criticising its lyrics. It became the first Tame Impala song 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. At the 2026 ARIA Music Awards, it was nominated for Best Pop Release and Song of the Year.
A remix of "Dracula" with South Korean singer Jennie was released on 6 February 2026, which was received positively by critics and spawned a viral trend on video-sharing app TikTok. The remix peaked at number two on the Billboard Global 200, becoming Tame Impala's first and Jennie's fifth top-ten hit, and number five on the Billboard Hot 100, earning both artists their first top-ten hit. Following the release of the remix, the song experienced a surge in popularity and reached new peaks worldwide, topping the chart in Belgium (Wallonia), Germany, MENA, Switzerland and the United Arab Emirates, and entering the top ten in Australia, Austria, Canada, Croatia, France, Greece, Ireland, Lithuania, New Zealand, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
Background and release On 25 July 2025, Tame Impala released "End of Summer" as their first single under Columbia Records, followed by the single "Loser" on 3 September. On 4 September, the project announced their fifth studio album, Deadbeat, due for release via Columbia Records on 17 October 2025. The following day, Tame Impala announced dates for a United States tour to support the album starting October.
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. "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.
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 one of three Tame Impala songs on Deadbeat with a co-writer, along with "Afterthought" and "Oblivion". The song began as a simple demo early in the Deadbeat sessions and was developed through successive studio passes into a tighter, more concise arrangement. 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. A disco and electropop track, 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. Lyrically, the song positions Parker as a recluse who finds solace in darkness, comparing himself to the titular vampire Count Dracula.
Music video A music video for "Dracula" was released alongside the single and directed by Julian Klincewicz. 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.
Critical reception "Dracula" received a polarised 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. KTLA reporter Russell Falcon named it one of the year's best pop songs, while Rolling Stones Jon Dolan described it as a "sleek synth-bop". The track's disco-laden production garnered comparisons to Michael Jackson's "Thriller" as well as Tame Impala's work on Dua Lipa's Radical Optimism. 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.
On the other hand, other critics like Clashs 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. 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. Pitchforks Sam Goldner acknowledged the song's catchiness but found it ultimately insubstantial. Similarly, Ross Horton MusicOMH noted the song's "undeniable groove" but found fault with its "hammy" lyrics. Ed Power negatively characterised the song for The Irish Times as a "vapid piece of psychedelic fizz".
Awards "Dracula" placed third on Triple J's Hottest 100 of 2025, behind "Man I Need" by Olivia Dean and "Dancing2" by Keli Holiday, becoming Tame Impala's 19th appearance on the annual list since 2012, and their seventh appearance in the top ten.
+ Year Organisation Award Result 2026 AACTA Awards Favourite Australian Music Video American Music Awards Best Rock/Alternative Song MTV Video Music Awards Best Alternative ARIA Music Awards Best Pop Release Song of the Year
Commercial performance "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. Following the release of Deadbeat, "Dracula" debuted at number one on the Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart dated 1 November 2025 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. 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. 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 7 February 2026, "Dracula" topped the Alternative Airplay chart, becoming Tame Impala's second number-one after "Neverender" with Justice in 2025.
Credits Credits adapted from the liner notes of Deadbeat.
Recording Recorded and mixed at Kevin Parker's home studio (Fremantle, Western Australia) and Wave House (Injidup, Western Australia) Additional recording at Diamond Mine (New York City) Mastered at Metropolis Mastering (London)
Personnel Kevin Parker – vocals, songwriter, producer, mix engineer, recording engineer Sarah Aarons – songwriter Loren Humphrey – additional production, recording engineer Matt Colton – mastering engineer
Charts
Weekly charts + Chart (2025–2026) Peakposition Canada Hot AC (Billboard) 35 Croatia (Billboard) 8 Croatia International Airplay (Top lista) 10 Global 200 (Billboard) 35 Greece International (IFPI) 7 Greece Airplay (IFPI) 4 Iceland (Tónlistinn) 24 Japan Hot Overseas (Billboard Japan) 19 Latvia Airplay (LaIPA) 5 Lebanon (Lebanese Top 20) 2 Lithuania (AGATA) 6 Luxembourg (Billboard) 12 Malaysia (IFPI) [Select 2026 Week 16] 12 Malaysia International (RIM) 5 Malta Airplay (Radiomonitor) 4 Middle East and North Africa (IFPI) 1 Nigeria Airplay (TurnTable) 96 North Macedonia Airplay (Radiomonitor) 3 Poland (Polish Airplay Top 100) 5 Poland (Polish Streaming Top 100) 5 Romania (Billboard) 11 Russia Streaming (TopHit) 86 San Marino Airplay (SMRTV Top 50) 2 Saudi Arabia (IFPI) 5 Serbia Airplay (Radiomonitor) 1 Singapore (RIAS) 3 Slovenia Airplay (Radiomonitor) 8 Turkey International Airplay (Radiomonitor Türkiye) 5 United Arab Emirates (IFPI) 1 UK Singles (OCC) 2 US Billboard Hot 100 24 Vietnam Hot 100 (Billboard) 66
Monthly charts + Chart (2025–2026) Peakposition CIS Airplay (TopHit) 35 Estonia Airplay (TopHit) 74 Kazakhstan Airplay (TopHit) 24 Lithuania Airplay (TopHit) 25 Moldova Airplay (TopHit) 11 Paraguay Airplay (SGP) 75 Romania Airplay (TopHit) 70 Russia Airplay (TopHit) 53 Ukraine Airplay (TopHit) 74
Year-end charts + Chart (2025) Position Australian Artist Singles (ARIA) 34 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40) 77
Certifications
Release history + Region Date Format Label Various 26 September 2025 Columbia United States 12 November 2025 Contemporary hit radio
Jennie remix
A remix of "Dracula" with South Korean singer and rapper Jennie was released as a single on 6 February 2026. It was co-written by Kevin Parker and Jennie with Sarah Aarons and Carly Gibert, and produced by Parker. Upon release, it produced a viral trend on video-sharing app TikTok and caused the song to surge in popularity. Commercially, the remix peaked at number two on the Billboard Global 200, becoming Tame Impala's first and Jennie's fifth top-ten hit. In the United States, the remix peaked at number five on the Billboard Hot 100, earning both artists their first top-ten hit, and was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It also entered the top ten in countries such as Canada, Croatia, the Czech Republic, France, Greece, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Romania, Slovakia and Ukraine, and the top fifteen in Hong Kong and Norway.
Background and release In 2026, Tame Impala began teasing the collaboration 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. 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. The remix was officially released on 6 February 2026.
Recording and composition The remix version of "Dracula" contains additional songwriting credits from Jennie and Carly Gibert, alongside the initial credits from Kevin Parker and Sarah Aarons. The instrumental arrangement is similar; it introduces Jennie's "soft, captivating vocal style" halfway through. 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." Some of the original lyrics are tweaked, such as using "My friends are saying, 'Shut up, Jennie, just get in the car'" instead of "Shut up, Kevin".
Critical reception