Over a decade into their career as a unit, UK rockers Temples are far from settled on their sound. Whereas 2014’s debut Sun Structures reveled in vintage psych-pop pastels, the band’s latest single “Jet Stream Heart” sounds far more contemporary in its pulsating neons and pounding electronic beat as James Bagshaw’s familar vocals waft through the mix. It’s just the first taste of the group’s fifth record, BLISS, which will mark a new chapter for Temples not only sonically, but also in that it serves as their first release for V2 Records.
“I think it’s easy to get stuck in this creative loop with each record you make, and it felt like coming together to create BLISS completely broke the cycle,” shares the band’s bassist, Tom Walmsley. “We had time to really reflect on ourselves, rebuild and reconnect with why we want to make music. BLISS feels like a line in the sand; it’s us recommitting to ourselves not just to being a band, but how we want to exist as one going forward.”
Regarding the new single, he adds that “Jet Stream Heart” was the first step in achieving this reinvention. “[For the first time, it] felt like we were giving ourselves permission to be more physical with everything—with heavier sounds and textures—and ‘Jet Stream Heart’ was a forerunner in the whole process. James [Bagshaw] has always had a great vision of sounds in the studio, and I think with ‘Jet Stream Heart’ it’s the freedom we’ve given ourselves to use them on record. We always serve the song, and wanted to create something hypnotic but on a physical level. It’s guitars, samples, and beats all pulsing together as this one living creature.”
Listen to the result below via the thermally colorized visual for “Jet Stream Heart,” and anticipate the arrival of BLISS later this year.
