Temples’ name has become synonymous with a band with an adventurous spirit; constantly exploring new ideas. On their fifth album, Bliss, they shake up the perception of the Kettering-formed four-piece with a record that ventures into electronic territory while staying true to their core DNA. Euphoric and melancholic melodies of late ‘90s dance music blend with psych-tinged riffs and loops to create something fresh.
After the 2023 release of Exotico felt overlooked, the band – James Bagshaw (vocals/guitar), Thomas Walmsley (bass), Adam Smith (keyboards/guitar), and Rens Ottink (drums) – hit a creative standstill. “There’s so much more to us as a band and as a group of people,” says Walmsley. “We’re completely reconnecting with why we started and who we’re making the music for – which is ourselves.”
Reinvigorated, Temples signed with V2 Records and returned to working together in person. Unlike Exotico, Bliss was produced entirely by the band. Bagshaw explains: “It was very freeing. It felt like you could just improvise.” The album features self-sampling, creating a shared palette of sounds that could be lifted, reversed, or reimagined across tracks – “building up audio Pantones,” as Bagshaw puts it.
Sonically, Bliss reinterprets dance music in Temples’ style. Lead single Jet Stream Heart captures the thrill of being drawn into music, while Vendetta merges scuzzy riffs with lasering synths and dance melodies. Blue Flame, drawn from a chorus Smith had in his pocket for some years, explores disconnection with a slower, icier sound. Revelations nods to Gregorian chants, blending spiritual and matter-of-fact elements. Megalith tackles frustrations, surrender, and the fear of being stuck amidst a moving world.
Though the band missed the late ‘90s rave culture firsthand, Bliss channels that era’s bittersweet euphoria, drawing inspiration from Faithless, Underworld, Prodigy, Air, Röyksopp, Moby, Massive Attack, Orbital, Portishead, and more. Psych and dance share a natural lineage, with repetition, loops, and trance-like states forming the album’s foundation.
For Temples, Bliss represents creative freedom and a shared sense of joy in making music. “We’ve just done exactly what we want to do in a purely selfish way, and that becomes not selfish when people connect with it,” says Bagshaw. Forward-looking yet aware of its roots, the album is unmistakably Temples: “People should throw out whatever they thought we were – this is what we are.”
