A Pop-y Psychedelic Marriage

Upon first glancing the cover to the new Temples record Volcano, with its strange lock and even stranger contorting key unlocking it, one might not know what to expect from the album. However, the one thing that the listener can conclude is that it is going to be a trippy listen.

This Kettering-based band have been churning out tunes since 2012 and, even though they have only been around for five years, their brand of psych pop has already made an indent within the psychedelic community. Up until their first studio album, which was released in 2014, the band had only been releasing singles. It was not until Sun Structures that listeners were able to hear a fully-realized sound from the band. Volcano, the second studio album released by Temples is a synth-heavy, kaleidoscopic musical journey.

It opens with the danceable “Certainty.” With its Animal Collective-esque sound and lead singer James Edward Bagshaw’s falsetto vocals, the track sets a fun tone that will last for the remainder of the album. “All Join In” is a psychedelic voyage draped in heart-pounding beats and extraterrestrial harmonies. “Oh the Saviour” and “Born Into the Sunset” are two songs that are unlike most of the other tracks on the record. They are more muted in their use of synth, instead focusing their attention on the traditional psychedelic sounds of whiny guitar and lo-fi drums. “Open Air” is their nod to ’80s pop and British indie rock bands like The Stone Roses or The Libertines. The record is rounded out with “Strange or Be Forgotten,” an interesting final track that describes exactly what could happen after listening to this band. One will either slowly push the experience of this down until one just forgets about it or find exhilaration in the strangeness of this album. Hopefully, it’s the latter.

Volcano, with its experimental and sanguine sound, is an amusing listen for those who want to escape from the monotony of the radio and explore some of the world’s latest neo-psychedelia artists.