Song of the Day: Temples - Certainty

Every Monday through Friday, we deliver a different song as part of our Song of the Day podcast subscription. This podcast features exclusive KEXP in-studio performances, unreleased songs, and recordings from independent artists that our DJs think you should hear. Today’s song, featured on The Midday Show with Cheryl Waters, is "Certainty" by Temples, a single from their forthcoming album, due early 2017 on Fat Possum Records.

Temples - Certainty (MP3)Kettering, England, four-piece Temples are masters at crafting layered psychedelic rock that could convince even the sharpest ear that they were listening to a band from the 60's. And while that is enough to please many psych-rock aficionados, Temples is far more than pure tribute to a past age. The group finds sparseness within their layers of sound, accenting festive melodies that are hammered home by lead man James Bagshaw's floating vocals. Temples seemingly had their sound perfected on 2014's Sun Structures, but two years after their debut, they have reemerged riding a wave of synth, proving that nothing is perfect. Song of the day "Certainty" is the first single since Sun Structures and quite likely the first taste of Temple's forthcoming album. The track, which heavily features synths along with the booming drums and wandering riffs Sun Structures was crawling with, improves on an already winning recipe. Where Sun Structures tracks seemed to pick out and isolate melodies from the dense pool of sound, "Certainty" uses a duet of synthetic and analogue sonics to unify, providing a coherent frolic through a psychedelic soundscape.

Temples played The Crocodile last night, but keep an eye on their Facebook and website for any upcoming tour news and for details on their as yet to be announced new album. In the mean time, check out Temples play their 2014 track "Shelter Song" live at the old KEXP studio below.