The Temper Trap // The Temper Trap
"If this album is ‘them’, they are confident, flexible, dramatic and sensitive all at the same time"
The Temper Trap – The Temper Trap (Infectious Music)
An eponymous album is a statement from the band; this is who we are, this body of music is how we define ourselves. Interesting then that for The Temper Trap, this is the statement attributed to their second album, not their first. It’s hard not to look at this one without the context of their stunning debut, ‘Conditions’, an LP full of depth of emotion, an innate understanding of crescendos and Dougy’s yelping tones. The second seems to build on the band’s energetic live performance, with a stronger presence from the instruments, and Dougy’s vocals having found a strength that borders on the theatrical. Lead single, ‘Need Your Love’ is also the first track and it presents the album with strong intention; it’s electronic, punchy and choral, like many others including the riots-inspired ‘London’s Burning’ and ‘Where Do We Go From Here’. What about the quieter moments that The Temper Trap can engineer emotion out of so well? Enter delicately finger-picked ‘The Sea is Calling’ and free download ‘Rabbit Hole’. If this album is ‘them’, they are confident, flexible, dramatic and sensitive all at the same time. Qualities that we hope they imbue in many more albums to come.
8/10
Emu Robot
