SxSW Song of the Day: Temples, Certainty

Late in 2014, Ricky mused laconically about where the 70s-energy of Temples would be in 2017. Let’s review: “The Golden Throne” from Temples was a compelling track from the moment it opened with an exotic guitar theme. It never let up and held an extremely tight composition throughout the rest of the disco-hued track. Well, here we are now and I’m happy to report that they aren’t bagging groceries, and they’re not going anywhere fast.

That was a compliment. Still dishing out their brand of “name theme, expand theme, and radiate”, we find that they aren’t limited to courting throwbacks. In the new track “Certainty,” Temples wears a new-found joy that conjures some of the same magic, had the jingle from Futurama’s Game of Tones been piled into phyllo pastry layers in a confectionery. Despite the new sound, you can forget about finding a signature. Apparently, their stamp is not in a melody or tempo, but the metaphysical sense of “GLORY”. I believe that’s two for two now, and I only hope they continue to write along this trajectory. Yes, I borrowed from Ricky shamelessly without trying to figure out why their music is interesting. Bite my shiny metal amygdala.

Posted on by Gary in Song of the Day, South By Southwest