The Brag

The Temper Trap
Have Your Love
By Tamara Vogl

It’s a little known fact that the men who formed The Temper Trap first met one another during brief stints working at Melbourne Central’s General Pants. Since their first self-titled EP, they went double Platinum with ‘Sweet Disposition’, released a debut album that sold nearly a million copies worldwide, and received a bevy of accolades, from ARIAs to Brit nominations. The band – which then consisted of vocalist Dougy Mandagi, guitarist Lorenzo Sillitto, bassist Jonny Aherne and drummer Toby Dundas – had barely relocated from Melbourne to London when they made a tour bus their home-away-from-home.

They’d arrived a little wet behind the ears but armed with songs fit to headline festivals, and an ambition set on getting them there. And having recorded Conditions with Arctic Monkeys producer Jim Abbiss, their debut was released in Australia in June 2009 to an overwhelming response and went Gold in the UK, which propelled the band into an extended period of intense, relentless touring that only concluded at the beginning of 2011. With a handful of awards – including two ARIAs – tucked under their belt, ‘Sweet Disposition’ may have been their not-so-secret weapon, but they backed it up with an album filled with nuanced epic-pop perfection. “[It feels] great. It’s nice to get recognition from peers, and people in the industry,” Toby Dundas says of the ARIA nods. “Those things that happen along the way are nice little bonuses to what you’re doing.” Adding “keytarist” Joseph Greer as a fifth permanent member only seemed right, seeing as he’d known the band since their early days. “We couldn’t get him to go. He kept showing up.”
After a shorter-than-expected holiday, the Temper Trap reconvened to begin work on their second album. With minimal writing having taken place amidst the whirlwind of the Conditions touring cycle, the band entered sessions for album #2 with a clean slate and little idea of what would surface. Situated in their adopted home of Hackney, the group approached the writing sessions much as they did for their debut: by just sitting there and nutting things out. By the time they were ready to head to the famous Sound Factory studios in Los Angeles to record with Beck collaborator Tony Hoffer, they’d written 35 songs that were whittled down to 17. “Being in LA was the right choice for this album,” Joseph explains. “Tony has his own studio, so we didn’t need to spend a lot of time trying to get things sounding right. On top of that, the weather was amazing the whole time, and I’m sure that did a lot to elevate our moods.”

What emerges is their self-titled second album, a record of two distinct personalities: one of melancholic, mesmeric balladry, and one of synth-led, anthemic powerhouse pop. “It’s a progression from what we did last time, with a few more elements and more synthesisers,” says Joseph. “There is a bit more programming,” Toby adds. “Conditions was quite varied, but this album will push the walls out a little bit more, I think. Dougy’s voice is still the focal point though, and is something that ties in all those different musical styles. He experiments with a few more lower registers too – a few more Barry Whites in there.”

Dougy had gone through a break-up prior to the writing sessions, which he’s admitted influenced some of the lyrical content – but Joseph tells me the songs are about more than just one man. “I think the lyrics tell much more of a story about what you’re going through [too],” Joseph says. “When you listen to the album, there’s a lot more to it than that. I think he probably had some of that to get out, but he definitely got to a point where it’s not just about [his break-up] anymore.” Musically, Toby was motivated by the gear. “[I was] inspired by what extra toys we have around us now, for us to have a play. For Conditions we had a few extra guitar peddles and that took us into a world. But this time it was having more Moog Voyager, so we were starting to write songs on synth sets – which changed the way we wrote.”

When it comes to the meaning of their music, The Temper Trap take the ambiguous route. “It’s not written with a direct message; it’s more what you can take from it,” Toby explains, “[We prefer to] provide a canvas that people can take something from, rather than a direct This-Is-What-We’re-Trying-To-Say message.” Joseph agrees: “It’s like if you think about your life, and you think about certain songs that meant something to you at a certain point – hopefully this is what other people will feel.”

The Temper Trap are looking forward to returning home to play for Australian audiences in more compact and intimate venues than the festivals they’ve been appearing at. “It’s weird – when there are so many people, you’re more disconnected from it,” Joseph says. “It’s almost more nerve racking when you’re in a room with a couple hundred people and they are right there in your face, as opposed to a mass audience.”

What: The Temper Trap is out now through Liberation
Where: Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House
When: Thursday May 31, Friday June 1
More: Also supporting Coldplay at the Allianz Stadium on Saturday November 17