English psych-rock wizards Temples’ second album Volcano (released 3/3) is a bewilderingly explorative sonic trip with sprinkles of the charmingly baroque textures of Sun Structures, yet showcases evident musical evolution. A deeper experimentation into incongruous melodic lines that boast stick and poke vocals scattered over celestial synth lines, their newest release is an intergalactic journey that takes a dip in multiple dimensions. Notable songs like “I Want To Be Your Mirror” and “Certainty” are dancey and sparkle propelled conventions while tracks like “How Would You Like To Go” is a darkly satisfying introspection that wanders into a compositional abyss of sound.
Playing off of both light and dark- Volcano lyrically explores the challenging mental matrix we all navigate while still tugging at a sense of simplicity and innocence we desperately crave. A mosaic of warm chord structures that are enveloped in swirls of vibrant auditory colors, Temples latest release is an iridescent, psych-pop party that serves as a potent opus unraveling its many harmonic treasures from start to finish. A little less sweet and a bit more daring, Volcano questions the more classically sixties head space of Sun Structures and brings forth a grittier sound that is both intriguing and unexpected. Currently touring with the Desert Daze Caravan along with bands like Deap Vally and Night Beats, Temples are making their way through California and Texas, and then heading to Europe to continue their expansive tour.
Bassist Tom Walmsley talked with Glide on everything from the writing process of Volcano to some of the lyrical inspirations behind the album.
You guys have been playing with The Desert Daze Caravan. How has that experience been so far?
It’s been fantastic. It was such a great experience to be part of their festival last October, and it’s like reliving that a little every night of this tour. The Mad Alchemy liquid light show visuals have been outstanding, and all the bands are bringing a little something different to each show. We feel really honored to get to come over here again and be a part of it.
How have all your lives changed since Sun Structures? Has it all been a little surreal from where Temples was a couple years ago to where you all are now?
I think the most surreal part has been going through the whole process of locking ourselves away and writing again. We were so fully focused on ourselves in a live environment, that it felt like a huge change to retreat back into the studio and think about being creative again in that sense. You have to go through a process where you want to try and reestablish everything.
Volcano has some definite nods to Sun Structures yet is also much more sonically explorative and darker- what prompted this change from Sun Structures?
I think the most enjoyment comes from progression, and figuring out where to take what do next as a band. Naturally for us, we wanted to do the polar opposite of what Sun Structures stood for, so we ended up writing deconstructive songs that question ourselves as a band. I think the lines are blurred on Volcano as to what influenced the sound of a particular song. Lyrically everything is so much more forward, and darker subject matter is evident in that. We wanted to speak more directly in our music.
What shaped your decision to also produce the second album yourself? Did you have a vision for what you wanted it to sound like?
I think it was our only option. We had no preconception as to how we wanted the album to sound. Any band’s first record is so definitive, you feel like you could progress from there in any direction. Because of how we write and record, which tends to be simultaneous, we were inadvertently at the controls to begin with. We really felt like we had a little more to prove, and to build on our sound, so it was important that it was us doing it.
How does the songwriting process work within the band? Is it more collaborative or does one person do most of the writing? How was this process similar or different to Sun Structures?
There was more separate writing at first, but then we’d take ideas into the studio and begin to work on them together. So it’s always a collaborative process. You just tend to try and make yourself as useful as possible towards other’s ideas.
How have audiences been reacting to the new material? Do you feel like there has been additional pressure associated with the release of Volcano with so much success that occurred with Sun Structures?
Three years is a long time, I think there’d be more pressure if we’d came back with another record sooner than we have. I think enough time has passed to allow ourselves a little more freedom with what we’ve done. They’re all a little harder hitting, so they seem to work out really well live.
Lyrically this album explores a lot of themes that deal with the perception of oneself and the mental maze that we all struggle with. Can you talk about that a little bit?
It’s definitely an inward-looking record. I think you start asking a lot of questions of yourself the further you grow as a person. The majority of the record is about coming to terms with oneself, and deliberating identity, death, and self-satisfaction. There’s more of a theatrical element to the songs, occasionally removing ourselves from the process all together.
What are some of the bands you’re listening to these days?
Utopia, lots of Japanese electronic/pop Akiko Yano, Ryuichi Sakamoto, YMO, Chiemi Manabe. Bill Nelson too – his solo records from the early 80s are incredibly forward thinking. Especially his lyrics, which are always incredibly witty. ‘Quit Dreaming And Get On The Beam’ is on repeat most while we’ve been on tour.
Can you talk about the concept behind the video for “Strange and Be Forgotten”?
We wanted to create something that showed our disinterest in how society views expression. Whether it be music, performance art, or differentiation. The song is really about retaining your freedom of expression on your own terms, rather than someone else’s.
Which songs have you played live off of Volcano and which ones are you most excited to play in a live setting?
We’ve been playing six or seven new songs at least each night of this tour. Half of which people are probably hearing for the first time. “Open Air,” “Roman God Like Man,” and “Mystery of Pop” have been really fun to add to our set, as they’re not like anything we’ve written before.
How different is it playing for U.S. crowds versus crowds in Europe?
I think every state feels like a different country in comparison to Europe.
I read that your song “Oh! The Saviour” was written at the bottom of Mount Fuji- was that the beginning of the inspiration behind Volcano?
I think the beginnings of that song happened to be written in that location, perhaps the idea of the record being volcano was subconsciously formed at this point also.
While your first album has more of classically 60’s psychedelic feel to it, there are songs on Volcano that are much more compositionally abstract like “How Would You Like To Go” for example. Do you feel like you wanted to experiment with sounds that you hadn’t explored in Sun Structures?
I think our approach to writing songs is something we wanted to experiment with. I think we wanted to subvert how people perceived us as a band and one of the ways to achieve that was to blur the lines a little more as to what has influenced this record, particularly when it came to the sound of the record. There’s a lot more satire on Volcano. If a song was about superficiality then it worked out that the music should follow and sound synthetic too. If a song was about narcissism then it made perfect sense for it to have an ostentatious guitar solo.
Have you felt like you have been able to further flex your creative muscle with this record by being able to utilize more tools, technically speaking, than you did on the first album?
There was a lot more consideration taken to the low end on Volcano. We wanted to create a record of higher fidelity, and have as much detail in the bass frequencies as there was in everything else. Which I guess was brought about from performing and that instant gratification you get from hearing music in a live environment and how it hits you in the chest.
Catch Temples in all their magic on Sunday, March 26th at Riverside in Newcastle Upon Tyne in the UK.
