Although new on the scene, Temple Fires have been building up momentum rather quickly and if you give The Road a couple of spins, it is easy to see why. On the surface, it is a song built of fairly straightforward structures, slowly shifting progressions and heavily rhythmic concerns. But dig a little deeper and you are rewarded with a whole array of touchstones and references.
Start to unpick the sonic texture and you will find post-punk poise, raw, garage rock attitudes, gothic shades and punk swagger all-dancing deftly to Temple Fires tune. Literally. It is direct and uncompromising, cavernous and hook-laden, through the hooks themselves hit you like a ton of bricks rather than the usual, more boogiesome infectiousness of modern mainstream rock. But minstream this ain’t.
Temple Fires makes a sound that is both exquisitely beautiful and raucously raw, monumentally cavernous and intensely epic. (And that’s this weeks adverb allowance used up in one line, damit!) But those are just words, how about something for your mind to play with? What about My Bloody Valentine paying tribute to the legacy of Black Sabbath, that’s a tough one, I know but if it was easy then everyone would be doing it. Okay, how about Sigur Ros taking on the later, more complex songs of Talk Talk? No? Shame, I quite like that one. To be honest I could keep making up such unlikely pairings and it still doesn’t really capture what the band is about. Best you just go and buy the track.
In fact, with an album due out shortly what’s to stop you not only dipping your toes in the water of this single and then plunging right into Temple Fires’ hidden depths. Nothing, that’s what.
