Tame Impala frontman Kevin Parker is expanding his influence in the music tech world with the launch of Orchid — a digital polysynthesizer designed to spark creativity in musicians and producers. Unlike traditional instruments, the Orchid acts as a dynamic “ideas machine,” offering an innovative way to generate and shape musical concepts.

According to a press release, Orchid’s functionality centers on a “unique chord logic system,” which enables users to explore and manipulate chords for maximum creative expression. At its core is a lush, 16-voice polyphonic synthesizer engine equipped with onboard ambiance, modulation effects, and a dedicated bass synth for deep, rich low-end tones.

“While other chord generators offer static, rigid platforms, Orchid paints a new creative landscape,” the press release notes — setting the device apart from competitors.

Developed in collaboration with Telepathic Instruments co-founder Ignacio Germade, Orchid reimagines the process of chord creation. A sleek, retro-inspired product video highlights its intuitive design, where users select root notes on a single-octave keyboard and shape them further with eight chord-modifying keys. For example, pressing ‘E’ alongside the ‘Minor’ modifier produces an E minor chord, which can then be altered and expanded in real-time.

The real magic lies in Orchid’s patent-pending voicing system, which uses a rotary encoder to “re-pitch and re-position chords” — pushing beyond the limitations of the 12 keys on its keyboard. Performance modes like Strum, Slop, Arpeggiator, Pattern, and Harp add even more versatility, allowing musicians to experiment with how the chords are played and layered.

The Orchid will debut this December 2024 with 1,000 units available exclusively to U.S. buyers at a price of $549 (approximately Php 32,230) ahead of a global mass rollout next year in 2025.

The launch marks another milestone for Parker, whose last Tame Impala album from 2020, The Slow Rush, peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200, debuting one spot higher than his Platinum-certified 2015 album Currents. Parker also served as one of the main producers of Dua Lipa‘s third studio album, Radical Optimism, which dropped earlier on in the summer of 2024.

As we anticipate the release of Kevin Parker’s Orchid, listen to Tame Impala’s 2020 album The Slow Rush below: