Temples

***TEMPLES—JAMES BAGSHAW (vocals, guitar), TOM WARMSELY (bass, backing vocals), SAM TOMS (drums) and ADAM SMITH (keys)—release their new album, Volcano, on March 3rd via Fat Possum. All the elements people loved with Temples’ debut, Sun Structures, remain intact, but this time, there is a noticeable evolution presented from the outset. It’s clear Volcano is the sound of Temples squaring up to their potential, immediately evident with “Certainty.” Its beefed-up beats reveal an expanded sonic firmament, one in which bright synth hooks and insistent choruses circle around each other over chord sequences that strike just the right balance between nice and queasy. Entirely self-produced and written by all four members of the band, Temples’ melodies seem to come effortlessly. There are sun-dazed numbers and lysergic dream-pop songs and those where synth and mellotron interweave to beguiling effect. One thing is certain; it’s harder to spot the influences this time around. Mystical language has been supplanted by something more direct. They’ve been broken down and blended together—fossilized into a single source of creative fuel, resulting in a sound that is undoubtedly Temples.