This new album starts off with “Certainly”, which right off the bat is a whole lot more lively than their first album. It’s not by any means heavy or anything, but there’s certainly a bite to it. The fact that Temples isn’t shoving their usual airy atmosphere down our throats with not intention of letting go actually does wonders for the band. Trust me, all of their elements from their last album are still there and all, but their heavily veiled by this new electronic sound they're going for. While this is an improvement, is it just me or are Temples totally ripping off Tame Impala? It’s certainly a little more playful and bouncy than Tame Impala’s music, but I really can’t shake that feeling that they’re totally ripping them off. Truthfully, rip off or not, “Certainly” is a solid tune. The production has gone up tremendously, and the vocals are much more front and center. My only real complaint is that the outro overstays it’s welcome a bit. While this is a pretty darn good opener, I’m still not completely sold on Temples. “All Join In” is up next, and it’s pretty apparent by now just how determined they are to sticking to this electronic sound. It’s seriously nuts to think that this is the same band that a few years ago was stuck in the 60’s so hard that it began to fault them. The intro on “All Join In” takes way too long to get going however, and as hard as I try I can’t keep coming back to the fact that this literally sounds exactly like Tame Impala (Specifically a track off of their “Lonerism” album). And it’s not even just the vocals anymore, it’s the hazy atmosphere and thumping bass as well. On top of all of that, the chorus here is completely lifeless and more or less sounds like a forgotten Beatles track that wasn’t good enough to make their albums. Not to mention, man is this ever starting to come off as one dimensional. So far, pretty bad. Thankfully, Temples shock me with just how genuinely good “(I Wanna Be Your) Mirror” is. For starters, this is a genuinely interesting combo of a more up to date Psych Rock/Pop sound within that 60’s Psych Rock they’ve worshipped for years. On this track, Temples sound totally in their element, and when things speed up this track just keeps getting better. To be honest, I really can’t think of a Temples track that’s packed more punch than this. Hell, if they made more tracks like this, I wouldn’t be nearly as critical of their material. Sure, the Tame Impala sound-alike elements are still all over the place, but this is still the most unique track I’ve heard from Temples in a very long time. It’s adventurous, it’s colorful, it’s seriously refreshing, overall this track is wonderful. Even the lyrics come off as snappy and memorable, and the outro here is absolutely breathtaking. Man, I’d love to hear more like this. Sadly, Temples throws it all away with….an acoustic track, *shudders*. Things go from pretty breathtaking to seriously messy very quickly. Instantly, we’re right back to where Temples were last album, desperately trying to sound like a 60’s British Invasion artist. While I guess they pull it off, personally I think it’s an awful sound for them. Honestly though, as boring as the instrumental and vocals are, lyrically I feel like this one is actually really memorable. I just get the feeling listening to tracks like this that Temples don’t fit comfortably into this sound, and just come off as trying way too hard. I’d still say that this album overall is an improvement at all, but I still can’t truly invest myself in it.
“Born Into The Sunset” is up next, and it brings back that electronic sound big time. Overall, this one just comes off as ugly as sin. The earlier tracks while they weren’t perfect at least were grand sounding and very bright, but this one just comes off as really half assed. Honestly, I don’t mind the vocals that much on this one, but man is this track just so safe sounding. As the track rolls on though, I can’t even say I like the vocals anymore, as everything just starts becoming very one-dimensional. Ironically, even though everything is blending together, tracks like “Born Into The Sunset” have so much going on that it’s overwhelming. I don’t know if Temples are going for a really experimental or just plain weird sound, but it’s certainly not working. Not to mention, oh boy are these Volcano references getting old, very fast. Thankfully, Temples get their shit together for a few tracks. “How Would You Like To Go?” actually has a really fantastic atmosphere. Nothing about this track seems really forced at all, and these opening vocals actually come off really nicely. Obviously this track is a whole lot slower, but there’s some serious buildup going on which I’m loving. The synths are spacey, the vocals are right where they ought to be, and the pacing is actually fantastic. We don’t get that much of a release here, but there’s certainly at least a little pick up around the 2 minute mark. “Open Air” continues with this very impressive sound, and the intro on this one might just be the most striking here. I can actually seriously get into some of these more upbeat tracks. There’s just so much energy, which was like my main problem with Temples first album. The vocals are back to being super breezy, but in this more upbeat environment I have to say they work really nicely. Not to mention, there’s a serious funk to this track, and most importantly it’s fun. Temples here just sound so natural and adventurous, I can only hop that in the future they give me more tracks like “Open Air”. Sadly though, they quickly throw it all out with “In My Pocket”. Let me just say this, there was a reason that the 60’s style of rock died out in the 70’s. It was just a whole lot of overly cheery pop at the end of the day, and that’s exactly what’s wrong with “In My Pocket”. I usually like adorable and sweet rock tracks, but this is absolutely suffocating. As far as instrumentals go, this one is way too safe for my liking, and the fact that they’re clinging to that acoustic guitar for dear life really speaks volumes. Not to mention, vocally this comes off so lazy. I really couldn't say a single good thing about this track if I had to.
“Celebration” starts off alright and all, even triumphant. But quickly it becomes evident just how much of the same this really is. When that first verse hits things go from bad to worse very quickly. Everything about this track is so unbelievably safe that it isn’t funny. The synthesizers hanging in the background are probably the most exciting thing here, they’re actually really nice. But then the chorus pops in and it’s just as unbelievably boring as you can imagine. No, I don’t have a single good thing to say about “Celebration”. “Mystery of Pop” at the very least breaks things up a little with some more colorful instrumentals. The synth here however does absolutely nothing for me. Outside of that though, a lot of this really works in Temples favor. I absolutely enjoy how bouncy this is, and some of the vocal work here actually sticks with me. Once again, when they let this sound of the 60’s that they can’t seem to get away from drift into the background a little, its really helps their sound a ton. Up next is “Roman Godlike Man”, which has a very eye opening start which quickly devolves into just another alright Temples track. As far as “bad” qualities to this track there really aren’t that many, but there really isn’t anything that exciting either. Temples do at the very least sound confident in their sound, I just wish they pushed this track a little further. Plus, that chorus is just plain weird. Let’s just round this album up, shall we. While I originally enjoyed “Strange Or Be Forgotten” when I initially heard it, over time it’s just become just as bland as most of this album. Instrumentally it’s solid, but holy shit are these vocals un-listenable. Temples may have taken a step forward with this album, but they still have a long way to go.
Rating: 6.1/10
Give A Listen To: “Certainly”, “(I Wanna Be Your) Mirror”, “How Would You Like To Go?”, "Open Air”
Overall Thoughts : This album man, whoa is it ever messy. Half the time Temples end up sounding way too much like Tame Impala. The tracks here are all over the place, but most of them just come off as very bland and un-exciting. However, I do think this is a slight step forward. I think the more electronic tinge to these tracks actually bring out a little life in Temples that I didn't know they had.
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