Temples – Mesmerise

SPARKS, HAWKWIND AND Joe Meek charges The Moontrekkers are three of the acts whose music has recently been shared by Midlands combo Temples on their Facebook page, and their tastes reveal much about their own approach to making music. Since their inception nearly two years ago, the four-piece have produced sun-shot pieces of irresistible psych-pop which have understandably drawn comparisons with ’65 Beatles and secured nods of approval from the likes of Noel Gallagher and Paul Weller. That said, Mesmerise, their new single, sounds too urgent for them to be dubbed as retro and underlines both their melodic classicism and a crystallization of their vision.

MOJO readers will of course remember the band from the inclusion of Shelter Song on the Echoes CD that accompanied issue 232 (March 2013) and should already be looking forward to the release of the band’s debut album.

The long-player – preceded by Mesmerise on January 13 – is entitled Sun Structures and will be released on February 10 on Heavenly Records. Featuring 12 tracks, the album was recorded in the box-room at frontman James Bagshaw’s house in Kettering.

“It’s similar to Joe Meek – he used to record vocals in his bathroom in his flat on Holloway Road,” explains bassist Tom Warmsley.

The album is available to pre-order here and the first 200 copies ordered will be signed by the band.

Temples will tour the UK following the release of Sun Structures. They play the following shows:

February 24 Glasgow Oran Mor February 25 Hull Fruit February 27 Nottingham Rescue Rooms February 28 Leeds Stylus March 1 Manchester Academy 2 March 3 Oxford Academy 2 March 4 Birmingham Institute Library March 6 Cardiff Globe March 7 Bournemouth Old Fire Station March 8 London Shepherd’s Bush Empire