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.
