The newest effort from the English rock band Temples is a sixteen-song affair, produced by Sean Ono Lennon, that mixes psych-rock with glam-influenced dance grooves, allowing Exotico to float free, partying amongst the cosmoses.
The opening duo of the elongated, big blaring bass, synths, and loping grooved “Liquid Air”, paired with the new wave, neon bright dance rock of the exhilarating “Gamma Rays”, announce the band’s intentions with Exotico; dance rock layered, head bopping good times are on the horizon. The band, James Bagshaw (guitar, vocals) Thomas Walmsley (bass guitar, backing vocals), Adam Smith (keyboards, rhythm guitar, backing vocals), and Rens Ottink (drums and percussion), worked closely with Lennon to deliver a form of sonic escapism.
The echoey vocals, guitars, and synths all swirl throughout “Giallo” and the spaghetti western guitar lines brilliantly highlight the title track, but it is an effort like “Cicada” where the group’s talents come to the forefront. Starting with natural cicada buzzing sounds, Temples quickly dig out of the muffled drumming to spread their wings and race along to a futuristic James Bond-inspired electro jam which Duran Duran would be proud of.
At times the album succumbs to bloated overload, the occasional instrumental placeholders like “Sultry Air” and “Movements of Time“ are not necessary on an already long-running album while the AOR pop of “Slow Days” feels a bit like running in place with fine, yet dull, overall results.
However, the band’s chilling-on-a-space-age-beach attitude also results in some grand successes. The pairing of the harder-edged, drum slapping “Crystal Hall” drips into the grooving coda of “Head in The Clouds” expertly while the bass and synths push the digital-mixed-with-tropical gem “Inner Space” to ravenous heights.
The dance rock just keeps flowing with the electro-layered, vibrating sounds of “Time is a Light” and “Fading Actor”, while the group increases the ominous feel for the laser light powered, dance floor packer “Meet Your Maker”.
Temples continually surf the electro-dance rock wave, riding it all the way to the distant shore on Exotico.
